Knowing What to Do With My Life
Building a Life That Matters – Part 1
One of the biggest challenges I faced early in life was deciding what to do with mine. Then, once I had my own family, I realized I had no idea what to do with a family either. Most of us—quite honestly, and quite normally—have no idea what to do with our lives, much less how to lead a family.
Looking back, I wish someone had helped me think through these questions sooner.
Questions like:
- What should we accomplish—if anything?
- Where should we live?
- What do we do with our time?
- Should we have goals?
- What are we really here for?
If you’ve ever asked questions like these, this series—Building a Life That Matters—is for you. Its purpose is simple: to help you create a path and guide you toward finding your own way in this vast, complicated place we call the world.
Enough introductions. We have a lot of ground to cover, and the sooner we jump in, the sooner you can begin reaping the benefits. It’s time to stop drifting through life and start living the life you desire.
So let’s begin with the most important question of all.
How Do You Know What to Do With Your Life?
Through my own exploration of this question, I’ve noticed something important: ordinary people are waiting for someone else to tell them what to do. And that, I believe, is the biggest of problems.
Think about it.
When you moved from elementary school to junior high, someone told you what to expect next. In high school, you were handed a list of classes to choose from. In college, the list got longer, but it was still provided for you. Even in the armed services, for the most part, the steps are clearly laid out and directed by someone else.
What no one ever tells you is this:
You get to decide what to do with your life.
You shouldn’t stumble into your life by accident or be surprised by how it turns out. In this series, we’re going to help you intentionally shape your life—deciding what you “want” it to become. I put the word “want” in quotes because we’ll come back to that later.
For now, understand this: deciding what to do with your life is not someone else’s responsibility. It’s yours.
Your Life Is a Business—And You Own It
Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to: every individual should view their life as a business—or better yet, as their own company.
When you do that, something powerful happens. You stop drifting and start building.
Ask yourself:
- What can I offer?
- What service can I provide?
- What do I do well that creates value?
- What can produce income?
- What enjoyment does this “business” offer to others—and to me?
You are the business.
Your life is the business you own. And just like any business, its success depends on how intentionally it’s run.
Your Life Is Not What You Do
I often say I wish that instead of handing out diplomas at high school graduation, someone would hand each graduate a business license. That would be a sobering moment.
What would you do if you owned a business?
That’s exactly how you should think about the life you’ve been given.
This is what we want to help you develop—a business plan for your life. Not something rigid, but something intentional. Something that gives you clarity and direction.
Most people define their lives by job titles:
- “I’m a teacher.”
- “I’m a dentist.”
- “I’m a bus driver.”
- “I work in retail.”
Those titles are far too limited.
When you view your life as a business, your job becomes a function of that business. Teaching is a service you provide. Dentistry is how you help people live healthier lives. Driving a bus is about helping others reach their destination. Retail is about helping people feel prepared and confident.
Your job is just one piece of what your business does.
Running the Business of Your Life
When you start seeing your life this way, everything changes. You begin asking better questions. You stop letting circumstances define you. You stop waiting for permission to grow.
Your life was given to you to be built—not merely lived.
And as we move through this series, we’re going to help you think differently, plan intentionally, and take ownership of the one business you will manage for the rest of your life.
Your life is your business.
The question is: how will you choose to run it?
