The One Question You Need to Ask Yourself When Deciding What to Do
I found this suggestion reasonable and logical, may be more so to youngsters. It’s kind of mid-way (中庸之道 in Chinese saying). This article (read the original here) suggests asking “What do I aspire to?” rather than “What am I supposed to be doing?” or “What do I feel like doing?” – here’s why?
For example, I’d aspire to be more healthy and hence be more independent and mobile to enjoy carefree life more, and that’d kick me out of the immediate gratification of being a crouch potato- which is just answering to the “What do I feel like doing?” question. Youngsters may need to ditch that instant gratification question of staying in the comfort zone and shy away from challenges. On the other hand asking “What am I supposed to be doing?” may be putting too much stress for some like forcing one to conform to the society’s or senior’s aspirations? It’s about – What looks good in the eyes of the world? What would others see as successful, laudable or, at the very least, sensible? What would your parents approve of? – some external standard we’re supposed to be hitting. I had a Taiwanese friend who told me that he always felt terrible of non-performance as ever since he’s a child, he felt that he’d achieve what his father had always been telling him that he’d become a president! (this is not a joke).
On the other hand, What do I feel like doing? focuses on your feelings in that very moment. The real problem here is in the timeline. Would I jump instantly to my WhatsApps when I wake up, and forget about my morning exercises?
Asking “What do I aspire to?” focuses on what you really want (not what society tells you to want), but it directs your attention out a little towards your longer term goals. We’re not talking about what would look good to others, but what would feel good to you, which is a tricky distinction for most of us. The key here is to focus on your body’s reactions. Thinking about what you aspire to should feel exciting and inspiring. That’s the drive behind going for challenges and the sweaty tasks out of your comfort zone.
Credits: The Tiny Buddha (http://tinybuddha.com/), and the article “The One Question You Need to Ask Yourself When Deciding What to Do” By Amaya Pryce
