Feeling lost and at a standstill in life is something we all go through, whether we like it or not.
It all comes down to not knowing what you like, don’t like and what you want to do. It’s a (sometimes painstaking) personal journey of testing the waters to find the “answer”.
I’ve been there along with so many others, so you are NOT alone.
If you feel bored, lost and uninspired in your current situation, like your life has no basis, here’s how to discover new things you like to spark new found energy and excitement into your life.
Disclaimer – This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of our links.
How to discover things you like: What is my purpose? How do I find my thing?
Before we get into the strategies and activities on how to discover things you like, I want to touch on some common questions that arise time and time again.
You may have even asked yourself some of these questions.
• How do I find my thing?
• What should I do with my life?
• What do I want to do or what do I like to do?
• What is my purpose in life?
• Where do I even begin to find this all out?!
I wish I could simply give you the answers but this isn’t a one size fits all situation (and I’m no psychic!)
But what I can say is this.
1. Your why is your fuel
Your why is unique to you and will help you to finding something that resonates deep with you and aligns with your needs.
Ask yourself these questions and it will be much easier to discover things you like to do or would rather be doing:
• Do I want more (financial) freedom?
• Live life on my terms?
• Am I looking for more happiness, health, time or money?
• What kind of lifestyle do I want to live?
• What are my dreams and goals?
• How do I envision my future?
2. You're allowed to change your mind and start over
Things change ALL THE TIME and it’s okay if you’re going back to the drawing board every so often to figure it all out (again)!
Like something. Explore it.
Don’t like something. Let it go.
Need to start over. Go right ahead!
My point is this:
Where you’re at isn’t always where you have to be and where you’re going doesn’t have to be the final destination.
3. It's a shift in mindset: don't be afraid to dip your feet in the deep end!
Discovering things you like or what you want to do is a journey that involves both self-discovery and exploring beyond your comfort zone.
Sometimes you need to let go of limiting beliefs and have a little faith.
Let go of what you thought you liked, and get curious and be willing to embrace the unknown.
4. Be patient with it
Your passion isn’t just going to fall into your hands and make everything better again!
It takes time to get to your end goal.
Give it a chance to work and be patient with it.
5. It's a game of trials and errors
I won’t bore you with all the details but here’s my story.
I studied interior design than changed paths halfway and started studying nutrition which I graduated in.
I was a at a point in my life where I thought, “this is it! I finally found my thing!“. WRONG.
Though I was still passionate about nutrition (and interior design to be fair) something just didn’t sit right with me.
In the next few years, I tried it ALL.
I wrote a book, candle making, jewellery making, the list is as long as my arm.
And yet again, each time I thought, “this is it, this is my calling!” WRONG AGAIN.
I went back to the drawing board (in my late 20’s) and started over.
What I knew for sure was that I wanted a life of freedom, loved to write and wanted to help people create a more fulfilling life (ironic huh?) and than, you guessed it, I jumped in and started a blog!
Fast forward to today and I’m living the laptop lifestyle of my dreams with purpose. I finally found it!
My point is, understand trials and errors are part of the process and don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t work out the first (or fifth) time.
How to discover new things you like to do In Life
As you go through this list and find a strategy you’d like to use, make notes of any thoughts that pop into your head or find interesting such as lifestyle, career, places, etc etc.
These will prove useful to helping you find any new (or lost) ideas along the way to discovering your interests!
1. Create a bucket list jar
This is a bucket list with a twist!
Grab strips of paper, write something you’d like to do on each one, fold them up and add them to a jar. When you’re ready, pull out a paper and do what it says!
Why do this?
I’ll answer that with an example:
Let’s say you’ve always wanted to write a book but haven’t had the courage to do it.
If you add that to the jar and end up pulling it out with the premeditated intention of doing whatever it says, it’s now become a personal challenge.
And human psychology has taught us that NOONE likes to back out of a challenge before they’ve even started! Right?
Plus, there’s also something exciting about leaving your “fate” to randomness!
2. Listen to podcasts
Podcasts are a fun and inspiring way to discover things you could potentially like or want to do.
Listening to people oozing motivation and inspiration in different subjects is just the thing you need to tap into ideas that you may have not thought of.
After all, sometimes it only takes one thing to spark a new found interest!
3. Browse the internet for online courses and classes
The internet is dripping with thousands of things to discover right at our finger tips!
Take advantage of the endless classes and courses on offer and pick something that piques your interests.
Think about these things:
• What catches your eye?
• Is it something you’d like to try?
• Why does it appeal to you?
• Do you see it serving purpose to your “why”? Eg – bring more freedom.
• Does it open a window of opportunity? Eg – develop a (new) career.
There are so many places that offer a bunch of possibilities for just about anything.
Here are just some of the best places for online courses:
• Babbel – best app for learning a new language.
• Skillshare – learn a new skill set.
• Udemy – large selection of online courses.
4. Keep a journal
Keeping a journal is such an effective way to see your thoughts on paper.
Take 10 minutes every day to write about your goals and dreams (no matter how silly or impossible they may seem) and just let your thoughts flow.
You can write about:
• The life you want to live.
• Things you’d like to experience.
• What brings you joy.
• What you look forward to.
• A letter to your future self.
• Your childhood dreams.
Here are some more journaling prompts you can use and if you need guidance with journaling, this guide will help you get started.
5. Find inspiration in other peoples lives/stories
Listening to peoples stories is the perfect way to spark inspiration and curiosity.
Here are three ways to discover things you like to do via other people:
Read autobiographies and blogs – there’s always inspiration to be found in the middle of pages! Check out these best selling autobiographies to get you started.
“Spy on their lives” – social media has made it super easy to get a feel of how peoples live (even if it may not always be real). Going through pictures and videos of peoples lives you’d like to “mirror” might give you the light bulb moment you’ve been looking for.
Go network – attend networking events for things that might interest you. Talking to people who share similar passions is both motivating and you’ll take away a heap of knowledge.
Take notes of everything their doing and think about these things:
• Is there a particular persons life you enjoy seeing?
• What about their lives interests you?
• Do you see yourself doing the same?
• Would it make you happy?
6. Ignite past interests or hobbies
Was there something you liked to do in the past? Painting? Baking? Gardening?
Is there a reason you lost interest in it or did it just naturally fizzle out?
Try exploring it again.
If you used to paint, grab some art tools, start painting and note how you feel.
You may like it, you may not.
Either way it’s worth getting stuck in again because at one point in your life, it was something you really enjoyed doing.
And sometimes all you need is to re-light the flame of a forgotten passion and you may discover it never really died in the first place!
7. Create a vision board
If you haven’t yet tried making a vision board yet. THIS IS YOUR SIGN!
Visually seeing your goals and dreams is a powerful tool that will help you figure out your passions and interests.
Use these vision board ideas to make your own and fill it with words and/or pictures that inspire you and things you want to aim for.
You want to travel the world, add it!
You want to bake, skate, become a damn millionaire, add it!
There are no limits to what you can put. If it’s big enough to dream, its good enough to go on your board.
8. Explore new horizons
Expand your view of life and the world around with and you’ll probably find your goals and dreams may even change.
Venture out there and grab life by the horns!
Try new experiences, meet new people, try different dishes, explore more countries. You’ll uncover a whole world of new possibilities.
And the only way you’ll truly discover things you like is to dive in head first!
9. Say 'yes' to trying new things and different activities
Just do it.
Challenge and push yourself even if it doesn’t sound too appealing at first.
Honestly, you NEVER know what you might discover that interests you until you give it a go.
Chances are, you might actually enjoy the activity. And if you don’t, at least you know you tried it and won’t have to live with ‘what ifs’.
Final thoughts on how to discover things you like
When you’re looking for new interests and passions remember it takes a little work and time.
It may work out, it may not.
But the real take away is learning new things along the way and having fun with it.
You’ll never discover your passion or interests if you don’t take risks along the way.
Remember,
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
So, ride the wave, test the waters and enjoy the journey!
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