6 Tips to Find the Right Path in Life
Often, many of us wonder if we’re on the right path in life. How can we know, or really be sure? Figuring out the answer is something many people struggle with, so if you’re asking the same question, you’re not alone.
Making the right decision in deciding where you want to go or what you want to do isn’t easy, especially when others around you all seem to have a very specific idea of what you should be doing, or which path you should be taking.
But deciding where we want to go and what we want to do with our lives is a decision we have to be willing to make on our own. No one else can really know which life will make YOU truly happy.
So, the question comes down to, how can you really know if you’re making the right decision that will lead you to a life you love, or going down the wrong path?
Related Post: Uncovering the Secret to Genuine Happiness
1. Accept and Be Okay with the Present
First and foremost, it’s important to learn to live in the moment. When you learn to truly enjoy life the way it is now instead of trying to make any huge life changes, you find out a lot about yourself, and naturally opportunities will present themselves, doors will open, and you will be leading a life you want instead of making quick, rash decisions led by fear.
Instead of trying to run away from all your problems and create an entirely different life, learn to enjoy this life and make the most of the circumstances you’re in right now.
This can often be a lot easier said than done, but it’s through learning to live in the present, and accept what we have right now, that we often discover our true desires and the path in life that we actually want to take.
2. Don't Let Fear Control You
This is one of the biggest factors that can lead you towards a path you don’t actually want. Many people allow fear to control and lead their lives, and only realize years later that they find themselves in situations and a life they don’t actually want to be living.
Whether it’s settling for the wrong partner because of comfort and security, settling for a job or career that doesn’t feel fulfilling, or keeping toxic friends around, it’s important to discern whether your life choices are being made out of actual desire, or simply fear.
Related post: 10 Practical Ways to Deal with Fear
3. Listen to Your Own Heart and Intuition
If you have an inner gut feeling you just can’t seem to shake whenever you find yourself with a specific person or in a particular situation, don’t ignore it. Often times, our subconscious is more aware of our surroundings and able to pick up on certain energy that our conscious minds can’t.
Maybe you get a weird feeling every time your partner leaves the house dressed up nice to go out with his friends, or hanging out with your new friend feels exhausting and fills you with dread each time, even though she seems super nice and bubbly on the surface.
Never ignore these gut feelings, because sooner or later you will find out why you felt the way you did, and your intuition is never wrong.
You may also change your mind about a specific situation or desire, anytime you feel like it. You may have initially thought you wanted to study a certain field, or live a certain type of lifestyle, but found out down the road that maybe it just isn’t for you.
Never be afraid to change directions, no matter how much time you’ve already invested in going down that path. You have more knowledge about that area of your life and more life experience now than you did before, so naturally your judgement of the situation will be better now than what it was prior.
There’s nothing wrong with changing your plans and realizing you actually want to pursue something different. Listen to your heart and your intuition.
4. Consider Others' Advice Carefully
It feels like everyone in our lives has something to say about what we should be doing and how we should be living our lives. Most of them have good intentions and are just trying to help us find our way, but unfortunately, not everyone always gives good advice or knows what’s truly best for us.
There’s some people whose advice you may want to consider, if they’re someone who knows you very well and may have an outside perspective you don’t necessarily see. For others’ though, you might just want to reject their standpoint entirely.
The choice is up to you, which is why, again, it’s so important to rely on your intuition. Usually, it’s the people we are closest to who know what’s best for us and may be worth listening to, while those who are unhappy and not living the life they want may just be projecting their unhappiness and need for change onto you.
So, take others’ words with a grain of salt, and listen closely to those you admire, are close with, and who matter the most to you.
5. Ignore Toxic People
This goes back to the point above. Toxic people often project their own unhappiness and lack of fulfillment onto others, and often give bad advice that will potentially lead you down the wrong path and make you just as unhappy, even if their intentions are good and they’re genuinely trying to help.
How to Know if They're Toxic
This isn’t always easy to decipher, but there are a few ways to tell if someone is toxic and potentially harmful in your life.
1. Focus on the way they make you feel
When giving advice, if someone’s tone or attitude seems judgemental or condescending in any way, and makes you feel less than or judged, that’s a very big red flag.
Even if it’s very subtle, you will be able to tell by the way you feel during the conversation. Don’t ignore that feeling, even if they seem to refute their point with kind words, or an explanation of how they’re just trying to help.
2. They're unhappy with their own life
If that person is known to complain about their own life and how unhappy they are, then you likely shouldn’t take advice from that person on how to live a happy life. One of my favorite quotes is:
“Don’t take advice from someone you wouldn’t trade places with”.
If this person has addictions or unhealthy habits they rely on to cope with their unhappy life, then they’re likely not someone whose advice you should consider. If they’re working a job they hate, in a bad marriage, surrounded by bad friendships and relationships, or always the center of drama, it may be best to ignore their opinions, and in some cases, even remove them from your life completely, if they like to drag you down with them.
6. Avoid Comparison
Just because someone you know or see online seems to be happy with their life being a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily what’s right for you. People often hide the negative aspects of their life and only show and talk about the good parts.
You never know what it’s like in someone else’s shoes, what they may be going through on the inside that they’re not sharing, or when it may turn out that their life just isn’t as glamorous and they’re not actually as happy as they seem.
Everyone has a completely different path in life, and everyone enters different stages of their lives at different times. If you feel like your friends or peers are farther ahead of you in life, just remember that at any point in time, their lives may take a complete turn and go in a different direction, where they may end up behind you or facing a worse situation than you.
Nothing is ever really the way it seems. You likely don’t see or know the full picture, so never judge the situation or beat yourself up about where you seem to be compared to others.
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