How do you figure out what you want to do? Test how to find your recognition?. Ways to determine your own purpose

The modern world provides a person with a huge number of opportunities to find his calling and make his deepest dreams come true. Another thing is how not to get confused and determine the right direction of activity from which you can receive both moral and material rewards?!

As one of the wisest said: “Find something you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” This mysterious phrase haunts many who have at least once wondered: “How to determine what I want from life?” The answer to this question may lie in plain sight. But a person goes so far into philosophical reflection and self-searching that he loses all the threads that lead to his own skills and desires.

How do you figure out who you want to become?

Today it is quite difficult for a person to determine what he really wants and to hear his inner voice. This is due to the influence of external factors, which are often intrusive in nature. Advertising, the media, public opinion - everyone is trying to convince that to be happy you need to buy the latest model of gadget, or become the owner of a luxury car, and then life will improve. And a person begins a race for material wealth, sometimes sacrificing the most valuable resource in his life - time. Where can I hear myself?!

But at one fine moment the cup of dissatisfaction overflows - a person comes to the conclusion that everything he does does not fill him. And the resulting emptiness cannot be satisfied with employment and material wealth. And all because when choosing a place of work, a person was guided not by his preferences and desires, but by social stereotypes and benefits. And no matter how much a person participates in the race called “money,” sooner or later he still comes to the need to find his place in life.

Thanks to the principles of psychology, which helps you understand what you want, there are a huge number of techniques that help you clearly hear your inner voice.

For example, the “Film” technique, which consists of the following:

Sit back, close your eyes and imagine that you are in a cinema.
Your imagination should clearly imagine a film about the most striking moments of your past life. Watch every frame carefully.
Then imagine that you change the channel and watch another film where the events of your future life take place. Think about who you are, what do you do, what brings you pleasure?
After you compare these two films, think about what you need to change to get what you want - gain the necessary knowledge, get rid of fears, become more decisive.

This test very clearly shows what areas of life you should pay attention to, what moments you are not happy with in life and require changes. Therefore, without delaying, it is worth taking the first step towards your dream, which you imagined when watching a film about the future.

Meet people with interesting professions

Meet representatives of new and interesting areas. You can find them among friends, on the Internet, or at some open lectures or forums. Find out what they do every day, that is, literally what their job consists of.

Ask what they like and don't like about the profession. This will help you understand how close she is to you, whether you can cope with her and whether you should consider her as an option for yourself. For example, the profession of a TV presenter or actor may seem like a complete holiday from the outside, although in fact it is quite expensive both emotionally and physically. And if the disadvantages of something don’t scare you and you feel that you could handle it, move towards your dream.

How do you know who you want to work with?

There is no definite answer to this question, since receiving an education in a certain profile does not guarantee that you have found exactly what you were looking for. In order to understand whether this is your calling, you need to go through more than one path of trial and error. Often, school graduates enter higher education institutions not in order to develop existing abilities, but in order to realize the ambitions of their parents. Justifying their expectations with care, they look for a well-paid job, and in every possible way try to impose their opinion that this is what their offspring need. And at this moment a conflict of interest occurs. A mature child, after some time, notices that this is not what he dreamed of. He searches for himself, changing jobs one after another, and does not find what he enjoys. Maybe it's all about the approval and criticism that he has been accustomed to listening to all his life?!

If the influence of the parents was strong enough to limit the making of any decisions, the son or daughter will have to work hard on themselves in order to develop confidence and responsibility for their life. As trivial as it sounds, you need to make decisions about work on your own, not based on the opinions of loved ones, friends, or society. Having tried yourself in one place, you can safely look for another if you feel discomfort in performing your duties. If every morning you can hardly force yourself to leave the house, and your thoughts constantly repeat “because you have to,” you shouldn’t turn yourself into a martyr. There is a high probability that this will soon affect your psychological health and quality of life.

Don't be afraid to look for yourself! There is nothing wrong with saying “no” to a highly paid but uninteresting job and going traveling or starting to draw. Maybe over time this hobby will grow into something more, and will begin to generate income in the form of opening an art store or a travel blog! Who knows?!

Well, for those who are looking for a stable and interesting job, taking into account their desires and abilities, it is worth considering several important points and asking yourself the following questions:

What would I like to do?
What can I do?
Who needs the result of my work, and is it needed at all?

After conducting a written analysis, the situation will become a little clearer. At the very least, you will be able to determine for yourself the vector of the direction in which you need to move.

Give yourself permission to try something else

There is no need to hold on to a job that you dislike to the point of tears, for which you can barely get up in the morning. Changing your routine or even your profession is scary, but even worse is wasting your life on something you hate. There is no need to be afraid to look for yourself at any age. There are many successful examples of people who radically changed their professional activities.

But you shouldn’t go crazy and quit your job if this is your only source of income. First, try yourself in new areas in your free time, as a freelancer.

Test: how to understand who you want to work with

There are many ways to determine career guidance for those who find it difficult to decide on a profession. This question is especially relevant for graduates of educational institutions who are about to embark on an independent life journey. By answering a number of questions, you can, to some extent, coordinate your actions and learn interesting facts about yourself, which can certainly help in choosing the required specialty.

So, let's start the test. Next to each answer there is a number that must be written down separately on a sheet of paper. Then you need to sum all the numbers and find your result at the end of the test.

Controlling the people around you is an incredibly boring task:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I am closer to working with finance than working in the arts:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I usually don’t calculate the time it takes to get to my destination:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

Prone to risky ventures:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I don't like clutter in the room:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I like to spend my free time reading books:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I prefer disorganization and lack of order in notes:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I tend to save money:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

My workplace is more often a creative mess than perfect cleanliness:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I like to carry out clearly defined tasks:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

My things are neatly arranged in drawers and boxes:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

Thoughts about cleaning make me sad and irritated:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I like to work on the computer, processing information:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I carefully think through every step before making decisions:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I like to work with information using graphics and tables:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I prefer games in which you need to calculate every step and not make risky moves:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

When learning a foreign language, I focus on studying grammar, and only then improve my speaking:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

I try to carefully study the problem that has arisen through reading and consultations with professionals:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

When writing text it matters to me:

sequence -2
don't know - 1
artistry - 0

To organize my thoughts and responsibilities, I keep a diary:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

Always up to date with political news and the economic situation in the country:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

In my work it is important for me:

new, bright sensations – 0
don't know - 1
feeling of satisfaction and peace - 2

It’s common for me to put things off until later and do everything at the last moment:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I immediately return the book I read to its place:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

Every evening I plan things for the next day:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

26. Before making any decision, I weigh the pros and cons:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

When dealing with responsible and extensive work, I tend to plan every step:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

After guests arrive, I put off cleaning and washing dishes until tomorrow:

yes - 0
don't know - 1
no - 2

I have a careful attitude towards health and lifestyle:

yes - 2
don't know - 1
no - 0

At the slightest failure, I proceed as follows:

thinking about it and looking for a solution - 2
don't know - 1
I get nervous and lose control – 0.

Now we count the points indicated next to each answer and find the result.

49-60 points

Your motto is excellence in everything. You are characterized by attentiveness and hard work, which are in great demand in such areas as accounting, programming, economics and other areas where a balanced and diligent approach to business is required. People who score the highest level of points know how to organize work and can become excellent leaders.

37–48 points
You are a collected and punctual person who values accuracy in everything. Such people are successful in law, statistics, and the computer field. Work with settlement documents is suitable for you - financier, economist, as well as text editing - journalist, proofreader, editor.

26-36 points

You are a great original, everything new is not alien to you. Logical thinking is developed. Keep a close eye on what's new in the business world. Big business is no stranger to you.

13-25 points

This category of people is distinguished by extraordinary thinking, impulsiveness and creative abilities. Working with documents will probably make you bored, and you will hardly be able to sit in one place. If you fall into this category, you should think about the field of design, journalism, and marketing.

0-12 points
The uniqueness of this group of people lies in their unusual approach to solving problems - they perform actions guided only by their own desires. They do not like obligations and time frames, which often limit their creative endeavors. Provided they develop consistency and perseverance, they can find themselves in such areas as photography, painting, acting and design.

Find a mentor

An experienced mentor will help you open up and give a start to your professional growth. A mentor can be your teacher, a more experienced colleague, a boss, or a good employee in the professional field you want to get into. To choose such a person, first decide why you need him: you want to improve your knowledge, understand what pitfalls there are in your field of activity, or in general better understand yourself.

Then make a list of potential mentors you know and ask if they would be willing to help you. Don’t ask the question directly and try not to say the words “mentor” and “mentor”: they can scare away a person who will decide that this is a full-time job. Better to say that you consider him a knowledgeable specialist and would be glad to hear advice from him. Offer to meet over lunch. If the first one goes well, arrange them regularly.

Projects on the “Russia – Land of Opportunities” platform are a chance to assess your level and communicate with professionals who can become your mentors. For example, at the Young Professionals Championship (WorldSkills Russia), you can receive training from the country’s best experts in seven areas, including construction, design and education. By the way, even people over 50 years old can participate in WorldSkills Russia.

You can also communicate with professionals and get advice and guidance from them at the “Masters of Hospitality” competition. It is held for students and already experienced people involved in the tourism, restaurant and hotel business. And participants in the “Digital Breakthrough” IT competition have a real chance not only to receive a grant for their project, but also to bring it to life under the guidance of top industry experts.

In the platform project for leadership managers, well-known experts in various fields act as mentors: for example, rectors of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Yaroslav Kuzminov and RANEPA Vladimir Mau, heads of large companies, for example the head of Boeing in Russia and the CIS Sergei Kravchenko, as well as other famous people.

How to unlock a person's inner potential

Determining individual abilities or potential is a great help for a person’s favorite activity. When working on yourself, it is very important to eliminate various obstacles in the form of fear of error or self-doubt, which were imposed by loved ones in distant childhood. But it's never too late to change your worldview, find yourself and share your talents with the world.

There are several methods for this:

Meditation is an effective way to concentrate your energy and focus on your own feelings and desires. Thanks to this art, a person can develop his creative abilities, which will later turn into a favorite pastime. Being in a relaxed state, a person lets go of his thoughts, thereby learning to manage his own mental processes and concentrate on his abilities. In addition, meditators are less susceptible to fears, which often prevent them from identifying personal needs rather than those imposed by society.
Keeping a diary will help you determine the maximum number of abilities and skills that you possess. In addition, this activity will help organize your thoughts and reduce anxiety, which can be a stumbling block on the path of your development. It is advisable to start work early in the morning (about 5-6 am), since it is at this time that our consciousness is open to an open dialogue with the subconscious, and can produce incredible things in the form of valuable thoughts and considerations. Write whatever you want - words of gratitude, motivating phrases, reflections, ideas, in general, about everything that comes to mind. Over time, your brain will gain extraordinary clarity and you will be able to hear yourself and your own thoughts more clearly.
Reading useful literature helps not only broaden your horizons, but also find answers to questions that concern you and help you decide on the right direction in life. In addition, reading books helps to relax the psyche and reduce stress, which negatively affects a person’s abilities. Spiritual and motivational literature helps answer the question “How to separate the wheat from the chaff in order to understand yourself?” By regularly reading good books, a person receives more than just information; he begins to understand himself more deeply, thereby making changes in his living space.

Most answers Q. You are the embodiment of iki-harmony!

Bravo, you have made significant progress on your path to ikigai without even knowing it. Even as a child, you knew what you would do as an adult, and you were able to establish yourself as an individual. You have life goals and you provide yourself with the means to achieve them. Along the way, you have already collected a lot of evidence and now know quite well what things bring you true joy. In other words, you take care of your daily well-being and avoid bad influences: no one will dare to pull you down... anyone, but not you!

You have partially figured out what you like to do, and you roughly know where to go. The halfway point has already been passed, but you still have to connect these small joys with something more significant to determine your ikigai. Thinking about yourself is healthy and even necessary, but if you are only concerned with personal well-being, then you risk forgetting about the main thing: you need to share this joy of life with others, this will help you find the true meaning of existence. You already know what you love and what you are strong at, but how to turn it into a life mission, how to make the most of it for the benefit of the whole world?

What is human intuition, or how to learn to listen to yourself

The uniqueness of our brain lies not only in its limitless intellectual abilities, but also in the ability to send certain signals at the level of premonitions. This incredible ability of the subconscious, which every person possesses, is called intuition. It, like our other skills, can be improved with the help of special exercises and techniques.

The main feature of the manifestation of intuition is internal sensations that prompt the right decision. Due to the inability to listen to the inner voice, a person often misses the opportunity to make the right decision for him, which can radically change his life.

In order to learn to trust your own intuition and develop it sufficiently, it is worth practicing by doing some exercises.

To begin to feel the inner voice, you need to reduce the influence of consciousness on it. For this purpose, sports are the best choice, as a result of which physical activity increases and mental activity decreases. The person becomes calmer and more balanced, which improves the conditions for the development of this brain ability.
By giving your intuition freedom, you allow it to act without the control of your mind. This means it can be developed anywhere and at any time of the day. For example, predict who a message came from or an incoming call without looking at the gadget screen. Or listen carefully to yourself and guess what the friend you are going to meet is wearing.
An equally interesting way to improve your abilities is to observe the signs that surround us everywhere. It is very important to put aside logical thinking and take advantage of the unconscious gift of our brain. For example, the answer to a correctly asked question can be found in a book open on any page. It is also worth paying attention to the various signs that fate gives us, thereby preventing us from a bad turn of events. This could be phrases heard unintentionally, information on signs, spilled coffee, and even dreams, which can both contribute to decision-making and warn against what is planned.

“Know yourself, and you will know the whole world,” said the great Socrates, and he was absolutely right. This means that all the necessary resources for a full existence and development of individual abilities are within us. Ephemeral happiness in the form of material wealth is unlikely to ever bring moral satisfaction. But studying one’s own “I” and developing innate talents will certainly bring harmony and understanding of one’s own purpose into everyone’s life.