Don't be something. Be everything
Have you ever felt lost?
Unsure of what to dedicate your life to, unsure of what to do?
Many people feel this way. I have felt this way, and often, I still do.
But the reason why it’s good to feel lost is because you can always find yourself again.
A Bit About My Story
As a child, I used to think we had to dedicate our lives to just one big thing. Maybe society shaped me to think that way. I wanted to be many things: a doctor, a police officer, a pilot, a soccer player, and more. And then none of those things.
In high school, when you’re supposed to start figuring out your career path, I didn’t have a clue. I often wondered if something was wrong with me.
Many of my classmates seemed to know, and I envied them for it. I wanted to be in their shoes because it would’ve made life easier—or so I thought. If I had known what I wanted, I could have focused all my energy on achieving it.
But life doesn’t always work out the way we want. And while that can be frustrating, it’s also liberating to realize we can’t control everything, even if we want to.
You’re Not What You Think You Are
“We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything.” —Buddha
You’re not just the parts of yourself you know—you’re also what you don’t know. Many aspects of you are still hidden, like the unseen bulk of an iceberg beneath the water’s surface.
When we say someone is a doctor or a teacher, we automatically create a mental picture of what that means. We paint a kind of blind portrait based on a single word. But words are only symbols; they don’t capture the full reality. And since we think in words, this can sometimes limit how we see the world. Someone once said that thought is used to hide the truth, and there’s a lot of wisdom in that.
If you believe you are a doctor, you’ll act in ways expected of a doctor. You’ll shape your reality around that identity and view the world through the lens of a doctor. And all of this happens because that’s who you are—or is it just what you’ve been told to believe?
But here’s the thing: if you have the freedom to believe you’re something, you also have the freedom to believe you’re nothing—or, in a way, everything.
Becoming a Lifelong Learner
“Humans are natural generalists. Humans invented mental tools like language, culture, concepts, religion, and stories so they could adapt, build, and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in any situation. This is the ability that makes us unique. This is the ability that most people have lost.” —Koe Letters
When you dive deeper into something, beyond its surface level, your interest grows. You become a student of everything, noticing details you’d once overlooked, finding joy in the mundane, and seeing the world with the eyes of an artist.
You become a lifelong learner.
It’s like a video game—you equip your character with various skills, and each new skill opens up paths and secrets you couldn’t access before. You start believing in something bigger, something magical.
But the real magic happens when you fall in love with life and give yourself the freedom to be whatever you want to be, without limits or restrictions—even if you’ve always dreamed of being a Martian hunter.
One thing is no longer enough because “enough” can’t encompass everything. And while you may not have all the time in the world to do everything, you can still do what you want with the time you have. And that is more than enough.
Where Do I Start?
If you don’t know what the hell to do with your life, don’t worry—that’s the best thing that can happen to you.
It’s been the best thing that happened to me.
Change the question from “What do I want to do with my life?” to “What don’t I want to do?”
Focus on what’s left. Pick one option and start walking. You won’t be certain at first—you’ll have many doubts—but that’s normal. In fact, it’s a good sign. Follow your curiosity and keep asking questions. You may not find all the answers. You never will. But that’s not a reason to stop; it’s a reason to keep moving forward.
Keep walking, even if you still don’t know the way. With each step, you’ll discover more of the path. If something new sparks your curiosity along the way, go for it too. Trust your intuition and listen to its whispers. Eventually, you’ll look back and wonder: “How did I get so far without ever knowing what I wanted?”
And the answer will be: You’ve always known, even if not consciously. It’s always been there.
When someone asks, you might smile and give a playful answer.
Maybe you won’t be able to explain it all in words, but your eyes will reveal everything.
And in that moment, you might feel proud of yourself.
And that’s a wonderful thing.