Below is an excerpt from my cousin and my response to her.

Hey Shawn :)

. . . Im going to look for a part time job for the time being…. Im so tired of school. I feel I have no direction. Did you ever feel like that?? Do you have any suggestions?? I just feel lost and that I have no clue what I really want to do, or pursue. And on top of that I am so burnt out from my classes. No fun at all. . .

XOXO
Sannie

On 2/23/05 10:55 PM, “Shawn” wrote:

Hi Sannie,

. . . sorry to hear you are so tired of school. Super bummer to feel lost or a lack of purpose. I totally know how you feel!

The Question of the day really is, What is the best thing for me to be doing? What is the best direction for me to be heading in? One thing that is good to know is that these are GREAT! questions that you will hopefully be asking yourself regularly throughout your life. If not, check your pulse. Look at them as some of the most amazing life navigation tools you have at your disposal. Another good thing to keep in mind is that unless you are struck by the proverbial lightening bolt (like Erin was when she just KNEW she wanted to be a teacher) you are more on a clue hunt than a Grand Answer unveiling.

Life is about the journey, right? It’s about learning how to deal, the lessons for which often come in handling responsibility, and it’s also about Living with a super capital L. As a spiritual being, you’ve got a fire in you that lights up and shines on everyone around you. As a human being, you have a job to keep that fire burning as brightly as you can. How do you do that? By feeding it fuel. You drink fresh carrot juice for your body and you follow your interests for your spirit.

When you make a decision like what class to take or where to get a job, understand for yourself WHY you chose this, and write it down. Do you keep a journal? If not, start today! Because writing down ideas that pop in your head, things to check out later, feelings to explore… these are all keys for better understanding what your spirit wants. So when you think, “I really like interacting with people, I like moving around, I like an international feel”—then think about what jobs out there satisfy these thoughts. Think big!!! Do you need experience for what popped into your head? If so, where can you get it?

Think to a situation when you had ideas popping into your head that got you excited. What were the ideas? What triggered the ideas? If money were no object, what would you be doing? What was the original reason for studying what you’ve been studying? Go to the bookstore and look through magazines that you don’t normally look through, read articles on new subjects. Then read articles on your favorite subjects. Let your mind open up and allow spontaneous thoughts to pop in. If any of them are ideas to look into something else, either do it right then, or write it down and do it tomorrow. Look for new experiences. Talk to people about what they do, ask them how they like it. What do they like about it? Is that something you value?

Whew, that’s a lot! You might want to print this out and read it once a week for reminders to look for new fuel. Really, it comes down to listening to what your spirit wants—that’s where the fun is, where the growth is. I know it’s tough to remember this when you are in a rut. Sometimes it helps me to drive somewhere new for the day and hang out at bookstores and cafes for new ideas. Have a good time with this!

XO
Shawn