Excite and Ignite: How to Realize Your Dream and Chase It with Zeal by Joshua J. Warren

So the years are passing you by and you realize that you've been working your tail off only to have nothing but maybe money to show for it. You're tired and are no longer feeling fulfilled so you know it's time to move on. Problem is you have no idea what you like, what you want to do or how to even try to go about starting towards it.

It's scary when you think about it because you have focused so much on your job or your circumstances that you totally overlooked yourself and what you want out of life. You may begin to feel anxious or depressed and want things to be different now. You may feel lonely and sad because you failed to realize until now that you have allowed work to consume you and have isolated yourself from friends and maybe even yourself.

Unfortunately a lot of us Millennials experience a reality similar to this. We see the successes that our peers have achieved and we wonder, "what have I done with my time?" We start to feel like it's getting later and later in life and we have no direction which only makes us sadder. Fortunately there is a way out of this and I have a few steps to help point you in the right direction.

1. Have a Talk with Yourself

Sadly, we allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in the day-to-day hustle and grind that we don't take out time for ourselves. We think that watching TV of playing games helps us take care of ourselves and in some cases that's true. However, it's important for us to also take out time to check in with ourselves. I like to suggest keeping a journal and starting meditation. Keeping a journal helps you to take snapshots of how you feel about what what you experience at any given moment. It acts as an outline of what's good and bad in your life so that you can use it to make necessary changes that you may otherwise overlook. Sometimes we get so bummed out at the fact that what we write may sound depressing or sad, but this is an opportunity for us to see what is making us feel icky so that we can either remove it or work on it to be better versions of ourselves. We can also see the good in our lives and brainstorm ideas to direct ourselves towards things that bring us more positive feelings and experiences.

Keeping a journal is an amazing life hack and when we couple that with taking time to meditate we have a power packed duo to getting our lives together. Meditation helps you to stay in alignment with what makes you happy and what serves you. A lot of people tend to think that meditation is just sitting quietly while thinking of nothing. That's not always the case. Although it is a great tool to quiet the mind if necessary, meditation can also be used to identify what you are feeling, why you are feeling those feelings and use it as time to start feeding yourself the things that you need while releasing the things that you don't. Think of meditation as a conversation with the god inside of you. It is the perfect opportunity to ask yourself what makes you happy, what makes you angry, why do those things make you feel that way. It helps you to identify what isn't serving you and needs to be removed and what would be best to replace it with. For example, if you identify that you are afraid you are now aware that you need to release that fear. You can replace the fear that was once inside of you with courage that can be used going forward. Keeping track of how you feel is a way of  viewing your personal progress through life so that you can clearly see whether things are getting better or worse and get the help you need.

2. Try Something New

Let's face it, the last thing you want to do when you get off work is run errands let alone anything else! However, taking time for self-care is of the utmost importance. Schedule some time to date yourself, join an new club or organization that interests you, or maybe even research and start a new hobby. Whenever we feel ourselves getting frustrated with the way that things are currently going in our lives, we have to do something to shake it up. As humans we are accustomed to cycles and habits. We bask in the comfort of knowing exactly how our day is going to go because it gives us a sense of control. However, this can make us feel bored or even stagnant which amplifies our frustrations with life. Reserving personal time to try new things and meet new people creates disruptions in our daily routines. These disruptions generate sparks that can activate us towards new avenues that we can take to pursue things that interest us and help us grow. You always want to make sure that you are growing in life because anything that isn't growing is dead and you are not a zombie, so go out and shake things up.

3. Network, Network, Network!

It's easy to let fear make us think that we can't go out alone. We believe that if we join a gym or take some classes that we have to take someone along with us in order to actually enjoy it or avoid looking lonely. Why do we do this? The reason that it's healthy to do things on our own is because we get to create genuine feelings about our experiences without influence and we open ourselves up to meeting new people. When we discover the things that spark our interests and generate ideas of things we may want to do, aligning ourselves with individuals that share those interests or hold an expertise in different areas helps us to build on those ideas. We like to let fear tell us that we can't do something because we don't know how or that if we ask someone how to do something we don't know how to do it might make us look silly. So what!? If you look silly asking how for help it doesn't matter as long as you get the help or get pointed in the right direction. Anyone that doesn't know something looks sillier than the individual that takes the time to educate themselves. Once we overcome the fear of potentially looking silly and realize that it is just the fear of changing our perspective to accelerate in a different direction, we open ourselves up to meeting new people that can help us get to our new destination. It's just like asking for directions. You are ignorant of what to do so you ask someone that knows so that now you aware without wasting time or energy unnecessarily. Talking to others, sharing your interests and asking for assistance helps to propel you towards your goals. Why let fear keep you from figuring things out?

4. Discover Your "Why"

Your "why" is the thing that fuels you. If I had to compare it to anything it would probably be one's purpose. Your "why" helps you to determine whether a job or endeavor will serve you or hinder you. Now that you've taken time to have a talk with yourself, try new things and network, discovering your "why" will help you navigate through life and maintain your happiness and zeal while doing so. It tells you whether a person, place or thing will bring you joy, wisdom, knowledge or support as it pertains to your purpose. Knowing your "why" keeps you in check with the things that you need to achieve your destiny. My why is to help give back to the African American community from which I am a part and aid others in their journey to self-love, self-discovery and self-help. Because I know my "why" I know whether the plans that I create or the things that come into my life are going to bring me closer to fulfillment or take me further away. Discovering your "why" can be challenging if you aren't connected to anything or anyone. It's for this reason that I listed it as the last step. We have to know ourselves and what interests us before we can know what drives us to achieve it. Once we give the time to those things, discovering your "why" becomes a little easier.

Remember, life is not a race but a marathon and it is up to us to find our own pace. What we give our time to is what rules us so if we give time to discovering and feeding our passions then everything in our lives will serve us. Life isn't always meant to be good, but it is always meant to be an adventure. If you ever find your story getting a little stale, remember to use these steps to shake things up and find your flavor!