Know what you want. But definitely know what you don’t.

Few of us know what we want. But most of us definitely know at the back of minds what we don’t want. And it’s a great place to start.

There are many things I want to do in life. Im sure there are many things you want as well. We all have direction, but few have anything real. It starts at age 5 or even earlier, certain of what we want to be, a fireman or a policeman or an astronaut, only to be just as certain as to what we want, at age 5 and a half – Superman it is! It is Superman for sure. No, but its definitely Spiderman! You can take that to the bank!

But as a sense of certain realities kick in, we tend to not know what we want of life any more. We start not-knowing what we want to be or do at age 10, and we do so well at it that we continue not-knowing at age 25 and continue doing so right into the 40s and more, bumbling through the years. The possible up-side to this of course is an excerpt from the Sunscreen song that goes something like this, “Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.”

Don’t try to force yourself to know what to do with life. But make it a point to know what you do not want. Use the art of elimination. And this is the easy part. If you are fresh out of school and thinking of what you want to pursue and you do not want to become an engineer, or doctor or get into computers, then don’t. Eliminate the options that do not make sense to you and start again. Do not do it just because everyone else is. Know that most of your peers are just as confused as you are, and are doing it with the same reasoning you have – everyone else (that includes you) is!
Step back after you eliminate these non-possibilities and then re-look at the world and your options. Remember, they too are endless – but every little strike out helps.
If you are working already, think about what you want in 10 years from now and have a look at someone else in that place already. Look at what he or she has achieved in life, what they must have sacrificed to get there, and how their life looks in general. Is that the person you want to shape up to? The answer to that is the answer to your question that you had right in the beginning. “What do you want to do with your life?” if it is in the negative, then strike that. And start again. Your list is now a little shorter.

Today’s world may be a rat race, but know what your race is.

Each of us have different a different race to run. Do not get consumed in a race of another person or people. It is easy to get carried away and lose yourself to a race which many others are running. For all you know, you are a long jumper!
So find out what you want! And then look it up!

Remember this. We all think we are different and unique, and we are. But we are all also frighteningly more similar to each other in thought and action that we would like to believe. Think of what you think of the people around you when you are in a flight or the metro or any other public place just waiting. Your mind wanders and you make opinions of everyone around you. Know this. Most of them are thinking the exact same thing about you too.

So think about what you think you want to be and what you want to do and then look at the people who are there already, and there will always be people to look up. Look at the best case scenario, also make note of the worst off. It could be your boss, it could be an industrialist, it could be an athlete, it could be an artist, and it could even be a local social worker. Of course you would say you will do much better, as each of does, but it will give you a good idea none the less. Now decide again. Your life direction need not always be a do-it-yourself kit which you spend your entire life time discovering only to find out you were working on the wrong kit! Directions to various kits are right in front of you already. You just have to sift through the kits. Is that what you want to do and be or is it that other person or maybe it is someone else. Choose.

Decide.
Decide against. Know what you do not want to be.

Know what you do not want to do or be doing 5-10-20 years from now.
And try again.