We live in a world where it feels like by the time you are 18 years old, you need to have your entire life figured out. Not only do you have the pressure of pursuing a university or college education from your parents, but you also have pressure from our generation to be a multi-millionaire social media influencer, crypto guru, or drop shipper because it's "so easy" to make money these days.
When you add being a competitive athlete on top of that, it's easy to lose your way in living your life for yourself instead of one that pleases society. If you're struggling to navigate any of the aforementioned societal pressures, then keep reading to learn how I discover the life I want to live.
It's up to you to choose how you live your life
If there is one thing to understand from this blog post, it's the idea that no matter our life circumstances, we should all live the life we want. Whether we realize it or not, we all have a natural gauge of where we want to take our lives. Whether you want to play sports for fun or competitively, or you're striving to become a doctor, a lawyer, an entrepreneur, or none of the above, you should live the life you want.
With this knowledge, ultimately, it's up to you to sit down (actually do this step) and decide who you want to become and what life you want to create. This can feel daunting at first, especially with all the societal pressure to "follow our passion" when most of us have no clue what that means!
Throughout my undergrad, I was engulfed by the misconception that we always need this full-proof five-year plan with each possible hurdle planned for and backup routes established to ensure we reach our desired destination.
One day I realized that it was nonsensical to have such a plan because not only can't we plan for every possible future event, but we must also take into account that along the way, we as individuals are constantly changing - our minds, our bodies, our hearts, all of it is consistently evolving to our environments.
No more fiver year plan
So instead, I scraped the five-year plan and made it my personal mission to regularly check in on myself and learn about who I am, what I am curious about, what excites me and drains me, and how I love to spend my time. I have let go of my tunnel vision and instead, I let happiness and desire gauge my next move.
I became fluid with my mindset and learned how to appreciate the uncertainty of every day, and now find comfort in pursuing a path of constant growth and iteration. My ultimate goal is to over time become a more fulfilled human being by focusing on continuous personal development. I am not saying to have no plans in place, but I am trying to demonstrate that you're looking for a sense of direction.
Uncover what you are training for
To accomplish this evolved mindset, you must determine what role your athletic career plays in your life. Are you striving to play professionally? Or do you have another career path in mind? Or perhaps a bit of both?
To answer these questions, think about the kind of lifestyle you want to live, and how you want your days to look like, and ultimately follow what puts a smile on your face and gets you excited in the morning.
You could make the wrong choice at first, but that's okay because life is a learn-as-you-go process. You make a ton of wrong choices until you finally land on the right ones. So take some time, sit down with a notebook or laptop and begin to discover who you are to determine who you want to become.
If you'd like to learn more about navigating external pressures and surpassing your own fears on your journey to define your life path, check out Define Your Path - Ep.25 on the podcast!
