The Question
What do I actually want? Not what will look good on LinkedIn. Not what my parents think I should do. Not what's impressive to say at a dinner party. What do I actually want my work life to be?
Most people haven't answered that. They've answered "what should I want." That's different.
Why Answering Matters More Now
You're going to spend 40 years working. That's 40 years of your life. If you spend those 40 years doing work that's someone else's definition of success, you'll have built a very successful someone else's career.
Your own? Nobody else can build that. Only you.
Starting the Conversation
What makes you lose track of time? What problem can't you stop thinking about? If money wasn't a constraint, what work would you do? (And be honest — sometimes the answer is "something completely different.")
If you can articulate what actually matters to you, suddenly career decisions get easier. Not easy — easier. Because you have a compass.
Most people don't have that compass. So they wander. That's the real tragedy.