No Direction in Life 
by Barbara Reinhold 

Question: I am educated, fairly well-traveled, open-minded, love people, and  seek a meaningful career that pays decently. I have read the Parachute books,  the interest surveys, taken the tests, even used career resources at my  college. I still do not know what I want or where I should look for help. I  am not lazy nor unambitious, just undirected and feeling very lost. Can you  please suggest how to find what I am looking for? Thank you. 

Answer: Let's try this: Change the question, "What do I want to do?" to "What  do I want to do FOR NOW (fill in your choice of the next 3 months, 6 months  or 1 year, tops)?" The first question can be overwhelming. The second  question is much friendlier. You'll find that when you give yourself permission to make temporary, mini-decisions, rather than ones which focus on the longterm those stuck gears will begin to move.  Here are some of the answers to the question "What would I like to do FOR  NOW?" that people I've worked with have come up with:  Over the next few weeks I'll spend some time at the library reading about Interior Design which I've always thought this might be an intriguing field. 

**This semester I'd like to take a course in desktop publishing or home-based businesses.  I think I'll spend a few hours a week volunteering as a teacher's aide in my son's classroom, and see what being in a classroom with kids feels like.  This year I'll take on a job which does not make heavy demands on me and allows me the time and energy to do some research and exploring. 

**This week I'll call that friend of my uncle's who works in publishing and  see if he has a few minutes to tell me what the field is like from an insider's point of view.  Give yourself permission to write your decisions in pencil instead of permanent marker. And give yourself permission to do some "creative  floundering" - reading, thinking, exploring, speaking with people, taking on mini-jobs or temporary ones. Don't put any pressure on yourself to see The Big Picture and you'll see that the small pieces you pick up will soon fall together like a mosaic.  Imagine for the moment that all the obstacles and pressures that we all face - money, geography, family pressures -- have just vanished. Then ask yourself the question what would you LIKE to be doing today, next week, for the next couple of months? Where would you like to be? Who are the people you would be with? How would you spend your day? 
Happy Exploring! 

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