If Your Life Lacks Direction, Ask Yourself These 14 Important Questions

Does Your Life Lack Purpose?

A woman with long dark hair and a thoughtful expression rests her chin on her hand while gazing into the distance. She is wearing a light pink top and appears to be in a well-lit indoor setting.

Life can be a complicated thing. It’s a journey to figure out who you are, why you are, and who you want to be.

The challenge is to figure those things out and evolve with them, because those facets of yourself are likely to change as you grow older and gain more experience with the world.

Life and perspective can change quickly depending on what circumstances you encounter. It really doesn’t matter if you’re twenty or sixty.

Diving to the core of who you are, your internal compass, and what you want out of life can help you develop a distinct course of action. That self-awareness and understanding is of great help when you’re in pursuit of peace and happiness in your life.

And that is what this ultimate list of questions about life will help you with.

1. Am I able to experience happiness? When was the last time?

A woman with short, light brown hair is holding a white mug with both hands and looking thoughtfully into the distance. She is wearing a light-colored, long-sleeved top. The background is softly blurred, creating a calm and serene atmosphere.

The interesting thing about happiness is that it is not a constant, consistent state. As an emotion, happiness can come and go. No one is happy all of the time, but never experiencing happiness or satisfaction is a problem that needs addressing.

A lack of ever feeling happy or satisfied may point to depression. Should this be the case, you should speak to your medical professional.

An overwhelming amount of stress and challenging life circumstances can make it hard to experience happiness.

2. Is it important for me to play a role in the journey of humanity?

A woman in a pink shirt and blue jeans stands still in the middle of a busy pedestrian walkway. The people around her are blurred, conveying a sense of motion and speed as they walk past. The background includes trees and cityscape elements.

Not everyone needs to be a trailblazer. There are a lot of people who advocate speaking up and standing for your truth, which isn’t a bad message in general, but may not be a message that is right for you.

Not everyone can be a trailblazer. Not everyone needs to be a leader. Sometimes it’s better to find your own peace or walk behind people who are already blazing trails.

3. What role should I be playing in that journey? If any?

A caregiver with red hair smiles and leans over a seated elderly woman in a wheelchair. The elderly woman, wearing glasses and a white shirt, looks up at the caregiver. They are outside in a garden setting with trees and a building in the background.

If you do want to play a role, then the next step is to try to identify your niche. People are often formed and guided by their life experiences. It’s a good place to start looking to see if there is some trajectory that makes sense for you and your life.

Many people don’t know their destination before they set off on their life path. That’s normal. In fact, they may not know that their destination is even an option until they start moving in the appropriate direction.

4. Do I feel a calling to do something that I’m not doing?

A person with short hair is painting on a canvas. The artwork appears to be an abstract depiction of a woman, featuring bold lines and vibrant colors. The artist is using a small brush and focusing on the details of the face.

Intuition plays a large role in how we conduct our lives, even if we don’t necessarily acknowledge or understand it.

Sometimes we just have a feeling that something is right or wrong for us. Other times it can be a pull toward something we feel passionately about.

Do you feel a calling to be doing something that you’re not doing? Answering a call that you’re ignoring may help guide you on your path to happiness and fulfillment.

5. Can I practice more kindness to the people who are around me?

A woman wearing a white shirt extends her hand with pink-painted nails toward another person facing away from the camera, dressed in a green hoodie. The scene suggests an offer of support or comfort between the two individuals.

The act of giving kindness is healthy for the mind and soul. It doesn’t have to be grand gestures or even far-reaching. Simply offering kindness to loved ones or the people around you can help foster a feeling of personal gratitude and humility.

One may also consider doing a little hands on volunteer work or donating to a cause that they feel passionately about.

6. What would help me feel happy with my life?

A man with short dark hair and a beard rests his hand on his forehead and leans against a window, eyes closed, appearing deep in thought. He is wearing a green hoodie, and light streams in through the window, illuminating part of his face.

An assessment of what one feels they are missing in life is a good way to start building a plan for greater joy and happiness.

That may include a career change, developing relationships with other people, moving out of a stressful situation, addressing health issues, travel, or just a change in the way one lives their life.

7. Is spirituality an important part of my life?

Elderly man with a long gray beard and serious expression, resting his chin on his clasped hands. He is gazing intently into the distance, with a soft, blurred background that suggests an indoor setting. He appears deep in thought.

What role does spirituality play in your life? Is it an active one? A passive one? Have you fallen away from your spiritual beliefs? Would you be happier or feel more content by getting back in tune with what you believe?

Perhaps you’re not spiritual at all, but instead identify with a code of ethics or philosophy that has served as a guiding light.

Either way, getting in tune with one’s beliefs and walking toward them can provide guidance when one is feeling lost and unhappy.

And even if you’re not a spiritual person, getting back in tune with one’s internal moral code can provide similar benefits.

8. Should I be incorporating more of my beliefs into my life?

Young woman wearing dark scarf and coat, standing outdoors on a beach during sunset. The sky is painted in soft pastel colors with water and coastline in the background. She looks serene and thoughtful.

Many belief systems, whether they are spiritual or philosophical, feature a large number of different facets. Sometimes they are relevant to your life, sometimes they aren’t.

It’s worth spending some time reacquainting oneself with those beliefs and ideas to see if there is anything new that can be incorporated.

Humankind has spent thousands of years in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. These aren’t trails we need blaze on our own.

9. Why do I believe and feel the things that I do?

A young woman with short blonde hair gazes thoughtfully upward. She is indoors with a softly lit background, and wears a light pink top.

“Why?” is such a powerful question. Why helps us to determine why we believe, think, and act in the ways that we do. The more you examine the why of what you believe, the greater understanding you develop over your thoughts and feelings.

Understanding why can help you see problems before they develop, giving you greater control over your life, peace of mind, happiness, and well-being.

10. Do my beliefs bring me greater peace or conflict?

A person with a bald head, wearing a dark blue shirt with white polka dots, is sitting inside and leaning forward with their hand resting on their head. They appear to be deep in thought or contemplation near a window with natural light coming in.

As we grow in life, we may find that the old beliefs we carried are not serving us positively any longer. Take the time to consider what benefit your beliefs are contributing to your life.

Do they bring you peace? Comfort? Positivity? Or are they contributing negatively to your life? Making you feel bad? Closing off your perceptions? Pushing you away from the people you love and care about?

11. What goals can I set if I am unhappy with the person that I currently am?

A person with short, curly hair and a maroon shirt is sitting on a couch, writing in a brown notebook. There is a bookshelf with black and yellow books and a lantern behind them. The scene appears calm and focused.

Goals are a strong foundation for self-improvement and developing one’s happiness.

A common method of goal setting is to choose short (daily, weekly, monthly), medium (six months to a year), and long-term goals (five years, ten years) to help plot out your life and gauge progress.

A good place to start is aiming for areas of your life that bring unhappiness or unnecessary stress.

12. What’s stopping me from setting and working toward my goals?

A man with short, dark hair holds onto metal bars, looking pensively through them. The background is dark, emphasizing the feeling of confinement.

The biggest hurdle most people will face is their own mind. The brain likes to retain all of the hardships, the failures, and the words of negative people that tried to tear us down. It’s difficult to shut down those negative thoughts and push past them toward success.

Sometimes it’s more than that. Maybe you don’t have access to the necessary resources or you lack the knowledge of how to proceed.

One must stop to ask what is preventing them from making progress so they can find a solution to that problem and move forward.

13. Do I have a roadmap for my personal and professional development?

A man in a black jacket stands on a wooden boardwalk by the sea, with a railing to his left and a clear sky in the background. The boardwalk stretches into the distance.

Advancement in one’s personal and professional life is going to require a roadmap to find the destination.

A roadmap is not about setting goals. It’s about planning the actual steps that it will take to get to where you want to be and what the time frame for arrival should look like. A roadmap can work for fitness, career, social, and personal planning.

Research into how to accomplish goals can also help with doubt and anxiety, as you have a tangible plan in hand for reaching your goals that you can return to when you’re in doubt.

14. Would I be happy and content with my life if the world ended tomorrow?

A smiling elderly man is outdoors, wearing a beige coat, a matching flat cap, and a cozy scarf. He has glasses and appears content as he stands in a blurred outdoor setting, possibly a park or garden area.

Are you happy and satisfied with how you’ve lived your life? Is it something you can look back on with pride and joy?

Life is difficult and we all make painful, sometimes foolish mistakes. But it’s never too late to start living a better life and leave a positive mark on the world!

Don’t let your past define your future. We can all be better, happier, and kinder!