What do you want to do in life?

What do you want to do in life? This is a common question that all of us have faced many times in my life. We face this question right in our early childhood. Answering this question has been easy for some of us and very tough for some others. As I recall, most of my friends in their childhood used to say that they aspire to be doctors, engineers, administrative officers, pilots, professors etc.
I have always faced issues with such kind of questions. To be frank even the simpler ones- whether Hindi or Sanskrit as third language, whether Arts, Commerce or Science, whether Engineering or Medical and a huge list of such questions used to perplex me. While I was struggling to figure out an answer to these questions, it was not even a question for many of my friends. They already had an answer.
The general perception is people who can easily answer these questions have focus and direction in life. Others are confused. Latter I realized that saying that the question is perplexing or difficult to answer is not the right way to represent oneself. The better and smarter ways to answer these questions are: “I have kept all options open”, “I want to experiment a bit before I decide something concrete”.
Even when I had clear answer to questions I saw many friends struggling to get an answer. There are certain questions to which we all have a readymade answer and there are certain questions which are tough to answer.
The problem has its root in behavioral science. Each of these questions comes with options, available alternatives and compels us to select one option out of a few. We focus to choose the best available alternative. For example if it is about choosing between Arts, Science or Commerce for graduation and one finds science is the best option the answer is ready. But this is not the root of the problem. The roots of some of these questions are much deep. To answer these questions we need to know why the question is being asked. What is the ulterior motive of the question that is being asked? In our example of choosing stream for graduation, the question is not simply about selecting the best alternative out of the three options of Arts, Science and Commerce. Unfortunately, most of us think that it is simply about selecting one option that is best for career growth and opportunities. We forget the basic assumptions and context under which the question is being asked. As a result most of us assume that what is good for the world is good for us. We forget that we are unique and our way of interpreting the world, our taste and our interests are unique. Sometimes without even working on the basics we may land up in place we find lovable. But then it becomes a matter of chance.
An ideal way to answer such questions will be to attack the root of the question. Why the question is being asked? What is the source from which options are being generated? How is the alignment of one’s personal interest, agendas with the question being asked? What additional information required for selecting the best option based on one’s personal interest and preferences? Which options can straight be rejected for the misalignment with the personal interest? Choosing the right option many times depends on the question one asks to oneself. If one asks the right type of question one will get the right answer. So choosing an option is not about finding the right answer but finding the right question that can be asked to oneself.
Saying that, it is also important that as we get exposure to newer facets of life our interest changes. The world today is too difficult to predict. It is becoming increasing difficult to see even for a horizon of five years. Not knowing one’s position five year down the line is just fine. It’s natural. But a broader framework and the basic idea on own interests and priorities help to answer many questions simply by identifying the “why” factor embedded in the question.