Sometimes I feel like my life is going nowhere. At times, I think we all feel this way. What can we do?
Life, for some, seems to be locked in a pattern of eating, work, sleep, and repeat. These activities take so much time that we barely have the chance to pursue dreams. For others, we’ve just become complacent.
I Feel Like My Life Is Going Nowhere: What Do I Do?
When you feel like your life is going nowhere, then you’ve reached a realization. In fact, it’s the first step in changing things. Before you can make any changes, you must first see the truth of the situation or the problem.
Then you will know, and then you can do something to find your purpose in life. What else can you do?
1. Pay attention to your thoughts
A negative thought pattern will have you saying, “my life is going nowhere.” The good news is, you can work on those thoughts. But before you can renovate your mind, you must pay attention to it first.
Try harder to notice when your thoughts shift toward the negative. When you’re able to catch this kind of mindset, you prevent actions that may grow from those thoughts. It all starts with paying attention to yourself.
2. Ask yourself questions
The reason why you should ask yourself questions is to understand what you want out of life. If you feel like life is going nowhere, where do you want it to go? This will depend on how old you are, meaning what season of your life has you stuck. And, of course, most things don’t depend on your age.
Ask yourself if you want to go to school, switch careers, get married, or even if you want to have children. There are so many other questions you can ask, a plethora of them, in fact. So, to get your life going full steam ahead, be inquisitive with yourself and decide what you really want.
3. Remember your accomplishments
Sometimes life seems like it’s going nowhere because we have yet to recognize our past accomplishments. As for myself, I have trouble seeing the good things I’ve done, but have no problem seeing the train wrecks from the past. I will admit, this is holding me back.
Looking back in a more positive manner helps you see all the good things you’ve done for the world and for your life. As you see these things from the past, it helps you understand that your life is indeed going somewhere.
It’s just that large changes in life are few, and long periods of stability can make you feel stuck. In honesty, you’re just living a long chapter. Look back and notice these patterns, and you will understand.
4. Stop comparisons
One reason you may feel like your life is going nowhere is that you’re comparing your situations to others. I heard a wonderful example not too long ago about why we compare ourselves to others. Someone said,
“You cannot compare your low points in life to someone’s high point.”
Unfortunately, we do that all the time. We see someone reaching amazing goals, then we look at ourselves and see our problems. When we let it get to us, we do feel like we’re going nowhere.
5. Release the pressure
Many times, when people feel like their life is going nowhere, they start putting pressure on themselves. When you have an idea of how life is supposed to be, but it’s not fitting into that perfect dream, it seems wrong.
You start pushing yourself, sometimes beyond your means, and it’s not always because you want to. Sometimes you push yourself too hard because of what others think.
You may be surprised to know, life shares little resemblance to your childhood visions. It’s more complicated than that. If you feel stuck, that’s one thing, but if you’re striving for perfection, it’s not going to happen.
6. Take responsibility
Although it’s not healthy to pressure yourself in life, it is healthy to take responsibility. When you feel like your life is going nowhere, you must separate what you can control from what’s outside your control.
Maybe there are a few things that you could fix about your life if you took more responsibility. Then again, no matter how responsible you are, there are other things that cannot be controlled. However, taking responsibility is always a good move when seeing your life in a different way.
7. Change habits
If you want your life to go in a different direction, you have to change your habits. Yes, you probably have many good habits, but you also have bad ones too. Maybe these bad habits are making you feel like your life is at a dead end.
Let’s say, for instance, you want to become healthier, well you’re not going to do that if you eat junk and never exercise. When these bad habits are lurking, your outlook usually seems bleak. But with a change in these habits, you can drastically improve your way of life.
Seeing Life from a New Perspective
Stop saying, “My life is going nowhere.” It’s not helping matters at all. And yes, I know it will take some time because it starts with the thoughts. From a changed mindset, you can develop a new way of coaching yourself.
You can cultivate positive thoughts, get to the uniqueness of your being, and then appreciate yourself and your life. Maybe these actions will chase away those negative thoughts and give you a different opinion of reaching your potential.
I think I will use these tips for myself as well.
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Brilliant points, all! Rarely has compassionate wisdom hit home as hard as this!
And I just loved the last line . . . and am awed at your short but telling bio. This world has hope if it has someone like you in it.
Wow, thank you for your words. You have no idea how my life can sometimes be so dark and then a kind word can shine a light – it’s words like these that keep me going. I try so hard to convey the truth as I experience it with my senses and help others with that truth. I am wrong about things and then I am right about things too.
You know, we all have this beautiful thing inside, and unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard for me to see it in myself and in others. I thank you for the kind words, but I must say, I can be quite the opposite. We choose, you know. We choose every single day which part of us we want to push forward. Sometimes we choose wrong, and sometimes we choose the right way, and that way is the hardest.
Wow, saw this just now, in passing. (I’ve left the page open in my browser so I can revisit your piece to refresh my outlook on life.)
Your response said so much of what I’d have liked to say, too. True — all of us have flaws, but in a way whose beauty shines the more we admit them. Kintsugi.
Across the many worlds we dwell in, may our fingertips touch.
Nice Article. Valuable Guidelines which i will put into practice….Thank you so much…..