"the wisest approach may be to simply admit, “There are some things I just don’t know.”"

To Thine Own Self Be True:

"You’ve come full circle though. You conclude that what you should do with your life is to figure out what you should do with your life. Dead end.

You’re playing a game where you don’t know all the rules, and the exact purpose of the game isn’t clear. However, you still have to make a move. You have no choice in that respect. Even standing still is a valid move in the game of life. If you look to the game for answers, the ultimate answer will be that you should make moves that will help you figure out the game. But since you don’t know the game well enough, you still don’t know what move to make right now. This approach simply isn’t helpful. It just doesn’t create clarity. It will only leave you more confused.

Of course, you could just start making random moves to learn about life through trial and error. That’s a valid short-term approach, but we can do better than that…


First, let’s redefine the way you think about career. Just for a moment, forget about job titles, responsibilities, goals, projects, and tasks. Consider your career as an expression of who you are: being instead of doing.


...Once you come at this problem from the mindset of beingness, instead of doingness, your real career becomes this: Your career is to express your inner self through the physical universe. That’s your job description.

Your true career is the dynamic expression of your inner being.

...Do you hesitate to make a long-term career commitment because you don’t want to limit yourself? I don’t want to limit myself either. By using an inside-out approach to career, you don’t have to limit yourself. You can express the whole you to the world, not just a small piece.

Do you find your current career too limiting? Do you enjoy your work while also wondering about all the other things you could be doing? Why not find a way to do them too? Stop thinking in terms of A or B, and think A and B. What would happen if you redefined your career as the outer expression of your inner being? What parts of your inner being are not enjoying enough outward expression? Are you incapacitating your intellect? Curtailing your creativity? Squelching your sense of humor?

Don’t turn your career into a prison for your soul. If your inner self wants to spread out, let it. To thine own self be true."