I?ve noticed a trend lately with my client demographic? there seems to a lot of 18-25-year-olds that come through my door. I?m not surprised. Those years are probably some of the toughest years to handle.
It doesn?t have to be this way.
I think why so many young adults come through my door is because they place pressure upon themselves to be further along in their life journey and career than they are currently. It is especially difficult when their friends all have careers and relationships. The way in which they think about their present situation is what creates agony.
This begs the question? How else could younger generations think about these tumultuous transitional years?
Perhaps, if there isn’t a clear cut path already, those younger years could signify and be used as ?discovery years.? Years of taking risks. Years of getting to know one self in order to embark on a certain path.
So many feel pressure to rush into careers right after secondary school ? but have they really thought about the important things that drive not only a successful career & life, but a happy one? Have they taken the time to discover who they are and what they really want? Taking time to discover your true values and beliefs is very important in dictating future happiness and life path.
So, if you are someone out of high school, who feels stuck in the sand and feeling lost, it?s ok. It?s ok to feel stuck and not know what your next step is. Sometimes time and self discovery is what?s needed to realize the next steps.
If you?re not seeing a life coach or a career counselor, you can ask yourself certain questions which will bring you closer to your desired life path.
- What would your dream life look like? What career do you envision? What type of partner do you have? Or, are you happy on your own? Where do you live? What does your place look like?
- What is important to you in life?
- Why is it important?
- What do you value most? And why?
- Is there anything you could do with what you value?
- What are your beliefs around what you want to achieve?
- Are your goals achievable? If so, start goal setting! (by the way, life coaches are great at helping with this!)
This could take one day or months for someone to figure out. However, taking the necessary steps to answering these questions could be worth it for you in the long run.
During this process, keep in mind that analysis paralysis could creep in? which means if you think about what the ?the right path? could be for too long, it could become detrimental or stressful. Sometimes, you just have to choose something and try it out first. If you have looked at your values, and say you value helping people… you may think of wanting to be a Psychologist, for example? you might devise a plan of jumping into a big commitment like a full-time psychology program. ?At the same time, you could also feel weary or unsure about investing all that time and money, which could hold you back. There are solutions. Try to think of other options and go for it. One option could be to start off by taking a couple of courses and see how you like it. There are always options. Or, try a couple different things at once.
If you?re still struggling, help is available. I have helped clients move forward in ways they never thought possible.
Coach Alicia.
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