When You Feel Like You Have No Direction in Life

Do you feel lost?

No purpose? No passion?

No idea where to go?

Here’s the truth: You don’t need any of the above to fully enjoy life.

You can dance in uncertainty and let life live itself through you.

This is possible, because it is already happening.

These are not just empty words. I know uncertainty, fear, and worry. I know confusion. I’ve been in the deepest darkness.

What is Direction?

Look closely at your definition of having a direction.

This definition will determine how you judge and compare yourself to others.

You experience confusion when your internal “reality” doesn’t match what you see in the world. It’s an internal narrative of how you think your life should be.

If I think that having a direction means I will never be confused, unhappy, or uncertain, I will suffer.

If I then look at how happy other people are, and compare my internal to their external, I will suffer.

Having a direction in life is having an internal image that you feel matches external reality. That’s it.

But even that is not needed.

In fact, without a direction, life becomes an adventure.

Why Do We Feel We Need Direction in Life?

Because it makes us feel safe.

It is the mind grasping for something to hold onto.

When you feel like things are as you think they should be, you feel good.

But how you think life should be is created within you. It is not an absolute. Meaning, everyone has their own interpretation.

And this interpretation often comes from the outside. You listen to friends and family. You watch movies. You take in the world, and the world molds you.

You then look at this fabricated internal measuring stick to see how you’re doing.

But none of this is needed. You can let it all go.

The thought of letting go may bring up fear, but that is just the bouncer at the door of joyously living life without a direction.

How to Live Life to the Fullest

Living life is like walking in a dense fog.

I don’t see more than three feet in front of me. But when I take one step, I see a little bit farther.

As I keep moving, I see opportunities that I couldn’t have seen before.

So movement is the key. What is interesting beckons me forward.

No direction is needed for any of this, only the courage to defy fear.

Below is a video on not having a direction. It complements the article, so I recommend you watch/read both.

The article continues below the video.

1. Patterns and Definitions

How do you define what having a direction means?

How will you know when you’re on the right track?

Answering these questions will begin to reveal the internal image you hold up as the standard to which life should conform.

In the past, feeling like I had a direction gave me a sense of comfort.

Today, I live a directionless life. I do my best. I follow my enthusiasm. I see where life takes me.

This all sounds like I’m living, doing, following, and seeing where life takes me, but I’m doing none of it.

It all happens.

Notice, can you predict your next thought? And I’m not talking about the thought that says ‘I’m going to think about an elephant next.’

The body moves. Life happens.

No direction needed.

2. Pay Attention

I begin to pay attention to what is available right now.

• What do I enjoy doing?
• What do I feel drawn to do?
• What is interesting?
• What is fascinating?
• What is fun?

Notice your thoughts judging. Maybe you feel like something you feel drawn to do is silly or stupid, so you don’t do it.

Maybe you feel like being interested in drawing stick figures won’t lead anywhere, so you dismiss it.

These are the calls that you need to answer. You never know where they will lead.

Take care of your practical needs, but allow yourself to play, to explore where your inner being is drawn.

As Steve Jobs said:

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

Let what is interesting call you forward.

3. Hello Fear

What if, instead of excluding fear, you include it?

What if the seemingly negative is also a part of your path?

As you follow your interests, you will meet fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

• What if this goes wrong?
• What if people judge?
• What if you aren’t good enough?

Feel everything fully. No need to push anything away.

Open. Include.

Strip the story from “fear” and it is merely energy dancing in your body.

Let it salsa where it wants, and you will discover real freedom.

What If My Mind is Too Strong?

This is not another achievement that you need to yearn for. Instead, it’s a process and a change in how you relate to life.

In the beginning, your mind will insist that you search for a direction, and you will fall for it.

But with time, you will realize that you don’t need to use your mind as the middleman. You can live and experience life directly.

Gradually, this realization will cascade to the rest of your life.

You begin to take your mind less seriously. You live more in the moment. One day, you notice that you’re just … enjoying life. This enjoyment is not dependent on how external life goes. Instead, it comes from within.

Summary: All is Well

Sometimes (I feel like) I have a direction in life, sometimes I don’t.

If it comes naturally, I’ll take it, but I won’t strain to find it.

Life happens naturally.

There are moments of panic, and there are moments of laugh out loud joy.

This is life.

Nothing is wrong if you experience confusion.

Life is lived one moment at a time, one step at a time.

All is well.

Relax.

Enjoy,
Henri

P.S. Would you like to learn more about following what resonates? I invite you to check out my popular book Follow Your Heart: 21 Days to a Happier, More Fulfilling Life (amazon affiliate link. I get a small share of any purchase you make at no extra cost to you.).

Photo by Jason Blackeye