Find your WHAT
Yes, your “what”. You might have been told to “find your why” before. I like the idea, but I think it has gone too far. For too many, finding the WHY has turned into a paralysing, soul-crushing burden: “What is my why? What is my purpose?? What am I supposed to be doing with my life???” It appears the biggest question of them all needs to be answered first — and only then I can decide which project to get involved with or which job I should apply for.
I don’t believe that’s how it works. Living a fulfilling life is not an intellectual challenge, but a pragmatic one. We have to act and interact in this world, we have to move, we have to play, we have to build and create. But we shouldn’t try to answer the big questions with our head instead of our heart.
I believe we should focus on finding our WHAT. In small, very practical steps, we choose WHAT we want to do, rather than worrying about the WHY. At this moment, out of the options at hand, which one would I enjoy more? Where does my curiosity take me? What gives me pleasure? What feels good? Instead of going through fifteen self-development and personal growth programs to understand that my “why” is “to bring joy to the world by being a painter”, maybe I just start to paint because I like it. I decide to study biology because I find it fascinating. I learn to code because it’s fun.
We find our WHAT by using our emotional feedback as a guide, as a sufficient reason to take action. Then we trust the process that follows. Start doing and the craft will reveal the purpose.
So, WHAT do you want to do?
