1269. Knowing What You Want

We often hear that success and happiness come from knowing what you want. But how do you actually figure that out? And why is it so important?

Let’s taco bout this critical life skill (a skill that can be developed)

Why It Matters

• Clarity
• Direction and purpose
• Motivation to overcome obstacles
• A framework for decision-making
• Greater life satisfaction

Without a clear sense of your desires and goals, it’s easy to drift aimlessly or be swayed by others’ expectations.

How to Discover What You Want

1. Reflect on your values
   What principles are most important to you? What do you stand for?
2. Identify your passions
   What activities make you lose track of time? What topics fascinate you?
3. Envision your ideal life
   If you could design your perfect day/week/year, what would it look like?
4. Consider your strengths
   What are you naturally good at? Where do your talents lie?
5. After Action Reports
   What’s been going well in your life? What hasn’t? What opportunities do you wish you’d taken? What would you do differently?
6. Try new things
   Expose yourself to diverse experiences to uncover hidden interests, you never know where you will find inspiration.
7. Listen to your gut
   both positive and negative feelings.

Challenges to Overcome

• Separating what you really want from societal expectations, who cares?
• Embracing a direction without feeling trapped, who cares?
• Allowing your wants to evolve over time and knowing they will change, who cares?

The only thing that matters is your life.

Knowing what you want isn’t always easy, but it’s a lifelong journey of self-discovery. By cultivating self-awareness and regularly checking in with ourselves, we can clarify our true desires and chart a fulfilling path forward.

Not a straight line, but one that twists and turns and drops and climbs…

and sooner or later, we get to where we want – and that all starts with knowing what we want.