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How to Figure Out What You Really Want to Do with Your Life

- October 31, 2012 | by April -

My heart is heavy today.

Luckily, my husband decided that it would be safest to leave our cozy hotel room and escape NYC Monday morning before the bridges and tunnels closed.

We rented a SUV and drove away from the coast and back to Blacksburg, Virginia and pulled into our gravel driveway at 9pm that night. Relief flooded my body as I cuddled my dogs and called our family to report our safe return.

I can’t describe how grateful I am to my husband for getting us out of there before it was too late. But, I’m haunted by guilt.

Has that ever happened to you? You feel guilty because others aren’t safe when you are? It’s not a helpful feeling, because it wouldn’t do any good for you to be trapped without power or a way to leave, too. But, that feeling still lingers.

If you can, please do something to help people affected by hurricane Sandy. Even ten-dollar donations add up.

With that, I hope you enjoy this week’s episode of Wednesday Wisdom. Happy Halloween! {And, happy anniversary to my supportive, loving husband!}

If you couldn’t scribble down all ten questions, here’s a list of them for you to download and print.

{You must have Adobe Reader to download. It’s free.}

38 Comments · Filed Under: Happiness, Success

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    October 31, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    Loved this video, April 🙂 Especially those 3 things to remember – it was so good to hear how you started and that you didn’t have this whole thing mapped out in your head before you went for it. Makes me feel like I’m not alone in this journey.
    I also adored the bloopers!! haha

    Reply
    • April says

      October 31, 2012 at 3:36 pm

      Thanks Michelle! So glad it resonated with you.

      Reply
  2. Coral says

    October 31, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    If you don’t know what you want to do (other than “not what I’m doing now”) this video is perfect. I knew my answers to these questions almost instantly – which confirmed to me that I’m on the right path. I’m heading in the right direction. And a sign from the universe to keep going.

    What do you dare not dream about because you think it will never happen? well I am here to tell you after 14 years of feeling it would never happen (while wanting it so bad my heart hurt), I’m doing it. I’m taking those steps to make it happen. It’s early days and my dreams are big – but to have my stamps in my hands after 14 years of wanting this is an amazing milestone for me. It still feels a little surreal because it has been in my heart so long and now it is in my life. And it is a delicious little secret that gives me strength as I go off to that day job – my “not what I’m doing now”.

    FYI – Your ‘weeeee’ and spin scared the living daylights out of my cat. Not what either of us was expecting at 5am….

    Reply
    • April says

      October 31, 2012 at 3:37 pm

      I bet sooooooo many people are envious that you had it all figured out! That’s pretty darn amazing.

      Hahahahahahahaha!

      Reply
  3. Raquel Úria says

    October 31, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    Thank you so much April, you gave me a lot to think about. Brilliantly helpful as always. 🙂

    Reply
    • April says

      October 31, 2012 at 3:38 pm

      You’re so welcome!

      Reply
  4. Vick from in.cube8r says

    October 31, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    Thanks for this April, I’ve just tweeted this post, because it’s something most people are in the dark about. Thanks for the inspiration (and i LOVE those tags too!) xx

    Reply
    • April says

      October 31, 2012 at 3:38 pm

      Yay! Thanks for spreading the word.

      Reply
  5. Dawn says

    October 31, 2012 at 3:41 pm

    Thank you, April! Your blog is like a breath of fresh air- full of wisdom and fun! I really like today’s post. It gave me so much to chew on and ponder over. It made me go back to why I’m doing what I’m doing and how I can make it more authentic. What else that I can sprinkle into it to make it more of my own? And most importantly, to make it fun!

    I soo enjoy the passion you put into all your videos, the out-takes, and the spice you sprinkle into all that you do. Keep up the great work!!

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:37 pm

      Thank you sooo soooo soooo much! That’s so motivating to read.

      Reply
  6. Sage says

    October 31, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    HINT! HINT! 🙂 Hahahaha! I agree with everyone else–I love the twirling. Thanks for the handout. I’m working my way through the questions now. I like #8 best. If money weren’t a factor, I certainly wouldn’t be wasting the day away watching bad TV…so why do I do it now? You’ve given me lots to ponder (as always).

    Happy Halloween! Love your background. It’s spooky and classy. 🙂

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:38 pm

      Yay Sage! I love hearing that these questions have you got you thinking…and hopefully, making changes!

      Reply
  7. Phoebe says

    October 31, 2012 at 6:15 pm

    THANK YOU!!! I really need this.

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:38 pm

      You’re so welcome Phoebe!

      Reply
  8. Julene says

    October 31, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Happy Anniversary! Your videos are always so inspiring and fun (and I love the creative backgrounds)! This video resonated so much with my heart and I can definitely relate to feeling like something is missing from your life and business.

    I’m finishing up grad school studying health and am wondering if a PhD is in my future. My heart is longing to expand on my creative inspiration platform & design business while exploring some new areas I’ve always been afraid of pursuing (including singing and acting). I love your advice on allowing room for change, experimenting and playing – I’m looking forward to seeing your new additions to the site! I’ve started a project called “Stretch & Grow” to try new areas of creativity and encourage others to do the same – you’ll never know what you’ll be good at or what you’ll love if you don’t give yourself a chance to shine!

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:41 pm

      Thanks Julene! From my experience, it’s so hard to remove yourself from the path your already on, especially if you’ve invested a lot into it. Just allowing yourself that room to experiment and play is AWESOME and can help you figure out what’s right for you. I wish you all the best with that adventure!

      Reply
  9. Violet Annie says

    October 31, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Thank you for this – I desperately need to figure something out! Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby too – my hubby and I are also celebrating our anniversary (3rd) on Halloween 🙂
    Loved the backdrop too – anything with tags or bunting on is lovely!

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:41 pm

      Happy anniversary to you, too! I hope this post helps you get closer to figuring this out for yourself.

      Reply
  10. Annika R-G says

    November 1, 2012 at 12:26 am

    I hope U don’t mind me linking to this blogpost. I do love your Wednesday wisdome’s. Wish you a stressfree time now before christmas

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:42 pm

      I don’t mind at all! Linking is always appreciated. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Sarah Clark says

    November 1, 2012 at 1:33 am

    My thoughts and prayers goes to all the people who were affected by hurricane Sandy. Thanks for this inspiration post and video April. I just stumbled upon it at the right time.

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      I’m so glad!

      Reply
  12. Tabassum says

    November 1, 2012 at 6:10 am

    I hope you had a wonderful anniversary!

    I like how these questions make you dig a bit deeper to find out what it is you really want to do. But what do you do if you are multi-passionate? My passions are fashion design and natural heath +wellness. I’m currently living out my first dream in fashion but there is this huge draw for me to go back into medicine as a naturopath. Doing both at the same time would be insane. I suppose that dedicating my time to the passion that satisfies me the most-leaving money aside- would be the way to go. Your thoughts?

    P.s. your husband is hilarious!

    Reply
    • April says

      November 1, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      My advice is to stop thinking that you have to do one or the other. Instead, get creative with how you can do them both. You might not be able to make money from both or build businesses around both, but you could build both into your life. I’m not exactly sure how that would play out for you–maybe fashion design as your business and blogging about natural health and wellness for fun once a week. If you consider all the possibilities, I’m sure you can find a way to incorporate both into your life.

      Reply
  13. Shannon Miles says

    November 2, 2012 at 8:24 am

    Thanks for the post Wednesday, April. It hit me right where I was/am at! I printed your PDF with the intent of looking at it this weekend… with coffee and private head space. : ) My husband, who knows I am in a transition right now, found it on the kitchen counter and sat down and started asking me the questions. Somehow in the middle of that “session” I started crying. It caught both of us by surprise. Lol! Poor guy.

    I didn’t realize how much I needed to be asked those questions. Thank you.

    Reply
    • April says

      November 2, 2012 at 10:30 am

      Wow! That’s amazing Shannon. Reading comments like yours makes me want to continually be of service and spread my message further and further. I’m so glad these questions are helping you figure out your path.

      Reply
  14. diane gibbs says

    November 3, 2012 at 9:13 am

    I love that you shared that you had trouble letting go of the idea you had made for you. It is hard but I think i am ready for the challenge. April how often to you get asked to do speaking engagements or is that even something you are interested in?

    Reply
    • April says

      November 8, 2012 at 9:37 am

      Hey Diane! Last year, I was asked to do two speaking engagements. I actually love speaking, but I don’t like traveling…so, I’m super picky about what conferences I attend and speak at. I’ll be speaking at Alt Summit in January, but I pitched them–they didn’t come to me. I don’t have any other speaking engagements lined up, but if I see something that I feel is the right fit, I go for it.

      Reply
  15. Janet says

    November 4, 2012 at 2:19 am

    Some gems in here April!

    I really liked the 2nd tip. I went to school for a graphic design major and it’s so hard when you’ve thought of yourself as an artist for sooo long, to admit to yourself that maybe graphic design ISN’T what you’d love to be doing. But I think what I’d love to be doing is even more out there that it seems impossible.

    I know it sounds silly, but I would LOVE to be a manifestation coach! Or an ‘expert’ in manifesting. I guess that goes hand in hand with wanting to be a ‘law of attraction’ coach that I thought about but manifestation seems juicier to me. But really, how do you DO that? How does one become an ‘expert’ in manifesting?? I guess I need to manifest it.. 😉

    At the same time, I’d love to help people with branding and especially personal branding… Helping people figure out what they want to do. And then manifest it. I think the two could go hand in hand. hmm.. giving me ideas!

    Reply
    • April says

      November 8, 2012 at 9:42 am

      Thanks Janet!

      Hmmmmmm…There’s definitely a market for what you want to do. DEFINITELY. I mean, if you look at the amount of popular books on the subject of manifesting, it’s obvious that it’s there. The first person who comes to mind is Gabby Bernstein…I believe she mainly does speaking engagements and writes books, but I’d start by looking there and then at other people who make money and have successful businesses doing something similar to what you want to do. {Not with the intention of copying them, but with the intention of figuring out how they got started and what types of products/services are the most popular and which ones are missing and that you might be able to provide.}

      Reply
  16. Elena says

    November 14, 2012 at 2:28 am

    Dear April, also if my english isn’t realy good, I appreciate soo much your work. thank you for think to help people like me who is thinking about start to trasform a passion in a job. I always find out something new, I had not thought about it yet!
    After this video and the ten question my determination grew and grew!

    Reply
  17. Andrew Halfacre says

    January 8, 2013 at 11:31 am

    Great video. I know a lot of people struggle with this question and here’s a helpful book aimed squarely at this problem – “First, Know What You Want”. It has 12 exercises/experiments including stuff for analytical and intuitive types.

    Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1907498559

    Website: http://firstknowwhatyouwant.com

    Hope this helps someone build on your 10 questions.

    Andrew

    Reply
  18. milf says

    July 27, 2013 at 10:30 am

    Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post and also the rest of the site is really good.

    Reply
  19. short sweater dress says

    December 5, 2013 at 10:53 pm

    Hello would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re utilizing?
    I’ve loawded your blog in 3 completely different browsers and I must say this blog loads a
    lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good web hosting provider at a honest price?
    Kudos, I appreciate it!

    Reply
  20. Sarah Korte says

    January 4, 2017 at 11:13 am

    Oh my goodness, April, we could be sisters! I am finishing my MSW (will be done May 2017) and kept telling myself I would always get my PhD. I have recently decided that I need to stop and do what I am really called to do in life instead of just going with what others are saying is best for me. Therefore, I am stopping and following my life’s calling – mind, body, soul wellness coaching for sensitive souls through spiritual counseling, meditation, yoga, Reiki, and animal assisted therapies. I adore you! Thank you for all of your wonderful guidance.

    Reply
  21. Emily says

    March 15, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    Thanks for sharing this awesome post. I liked it.

    Fully inspiration post to everyone. I would suggest my friends to watch this.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Link Hype 11-2-2012 says:
    November 2, 2012 at 9:00 am

    […] During this busy season, it’s important to know that you’re doing what you love.  April of Blacksburg Belle shared a video on How to Figure Out What You Really Want to Do with Your Life. […]

    Reply
  2. Friday Links 11/2/12 | EEF Etcetera says:
    November 2, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    […] How to figure out what you really want to do with your life – on Blacksburg Belle […]

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