What are some good places to find inspiration?

Hi Cody,
You are on a great path already by learning what they can't teach you in college. When I was nineteen I dropped out of school and started working in construction. It did not take me long to realize I wanted more from life. I wanted something better suited for my skills and I knew I did not want to do manual labor for the rest of my life. It may not sound like inspiration, but making the realization that you want more from life is a sure sign that you are building up your motivation. My recommendation is to reflect on what you like to do, what you are good at and what jobs or activities appeal to you the most. Even if you think that you are not particularly great at anything, you should realize that we all have unique clusters of skills. Once you have identified what your unique cluster is, then it will be easier to create a goal for the future. We tend to prosper and feel accomplished when we are able to contribute to the world with our unique set of skills. As my mom use to say, "once you know what you want to do, getting there is just a matter of taking the steps necessary". In summary, figure out what you want to accomplish by figuring out what you are good at. Then, determine the steps to get there and start heading there. If you are not sure of something, then try it and change course as you see fit. You have the freedom and power to create your own life. Remember, action always beats inaction. My own daughter is 18 now and headed to college, but I know that she is not quite sure what she wants to do and I know that she is not a very motivated student. I wish that she took a year off and worked. So, don't worry, you are on your way to a brilliant future.

Hi Cody, I would highly recommend traveling if you can. Right before I graduated college, so many of my friends had grad school or their ideal career path lined up. I on the other hand had no idea--and I mean no idea--what to do with my life. So I went backpacking for three months. Getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing other cultures really gives you a new perspective, not just on the world but on yourself. You get to know what you're capable of, what you enjoy and don't enjoy doing, and how you interact with other people. While it may not give you an exact answer for a career path, it will give you a better sense of direction. And depending on where you go and how you choose to travel, it's not as expensive as you might think. My travels cost much less than what I spend now living in Boston.

Even if traveling isn't something you're interested in, I will at least say this: don't be afraid of failure. It may sound corny, but only in times of failure do you really see what you are capable of. Going through school and the first few years of my own career, I was terrified of failure. I only wanted to succeed, and failing was something I just wasn't used to. But I have failed, and more than once at that. But when I managed to climb out of the lowest point of that most recent failure, I came to see that I had scraped by with new and very valuable skills, insight on my experience, and a much, much clearer understanding of where I wanted my life and career to go. Best of luck, and feel free to reach out with any questions!

Hi Cody,

Take a deep breath. Everyone has felt like you do right now.

What do you want to do with your life? If you can find a job that you enjoy so much that would do it for free, then that's a great place to start. Think about your hobbies or things that you are good at - people typically like to do what they're good at doing. If you are really social and enjoy talking to people and solving their problems, then you could be anything from a bar tender to a minister to a psychiatrist. If you enjoy fixing things, you could be excellent at HVAC repair, or a great auto mechanic or pharmacy technician.

Think about your skills and abilities and interests. What do you like to do and what do you do well? Reply to me and let's see if we can get started building a career for you.

Meditation is a great way to remove the voices in your head - connect to the God of your Heart and ground yourself to this human experiance allowing you to hear your own voice. Visual guided meditation might be a way to become present and whole, this will allow you to hear the God of your heart and listen to the one voice that is you. Be 100 percent of who you are, this voice is not in your thinking self. Try more to feel/see it in present time.