Tuesday, February 21, 2017

What is the purpose of life?

Here are some strategies to start:
  • What would you do if you have million dollars (i.e. if you did not have to work for living)?
    Note:
    a)I will do nothing is not an answer. You'll get bored.
    b)"Two chicks at the same time" is a reference to a great movie, but not the valid answer either.
  • Start with something simple, take aptitude/personality/career tests. Tests have their share of criticism, but it is a low-risk starting point.Some websites offer them for free. I listed couple of book in "Resources" section.Anything that helps you to understand you is beneficial.
  • Volunteering is another way to experience other professions. If you have expertise, offer it for free, especially to non-profits.
  • Start a diary and record what you've done and how much you have enjoyed it. That's from the book.: Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment
  • Write down everything you wanted to do. Try them to see what works. At least, these experiments will teach you what you don't want to do. There used be to be a great company called vocation/vacation. They would offer a "test drive" of a profession of your choice. Unfortunately, the website re-directs to a different company now.
  • Sign up for classes offline and online at Udemy, Coursera, etc. See if you enjoy them.
  • Watch your reaction when you experience things. When I see a beautiful photo, I tell myself I wish I could do this. That tells me that I could be a professional photographer.
  • Meditate. I'm a big fun of mindfulness. When you meditate, you let the noise in your head settle. And if you meditate regularly, you get moments of clarity. They are fleeting and rare, but during these moments things will start making sense. You will know what you need to do. You can meditate on a question. It is called "reflection meditation." Instead of coming back to breathing, come back to the question.
  • Asking yourself a question before going to sleep is another weird strategy. I've done it before for various questions and had dreams with answers. Does not work every time but try it anyway.