if you want to talk to someone, im here for you. im an 17 year old female

I think many people have felt this way so please know you are not alone. Some times it’s easier find out who you are by being who you are not. for an example you are person who has started a journey  to find  their life purposes  by being a person who hasn’t found it in school, athletics, ect. You have discovered that your soul is craving something else and the only way is to explore. you are so young so i suggest start diving into something that has caught your attention and explore till you are satisfied and then go on to the next . My biggest hurtle when i was young was i wasn’t sure what i wanted to do , until i realized i have time to do everything so I picked a direction and once i found it wasn’t for me i picked something else  .   Remember that a stagnate pool of water grows bacteria and can become toxic, however a stream is healthy  and a live. the worse thing is not doing anything because there will be the “what ifs ” .the only way to find the right direction is by exploring  out what is the wrong direction .  Also research personal statements and make one.  example : ceo of campell soup ” to serve as a leader .live a balance life, and apply ethical principles to makes a significant difference ” oprah  ” to be a teacher, and to be know for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be . Mine is to embrace being a beginner in all things unknown to me  and have the courage to try…. the reason for this is because i recently turned down a opportunity to try a stand up jetski and someone said you just don’t want to make a fool of yourself by trying and they w right. so i tried and i did terrible but it was so much fun and it showed me i don’t want to me the person that  doesn’t try something new just because ill be terrible in the beginning.

you are young and im sure you see lots of adults that haven’t found their life purpose and it can be scary. Also please understand that finding your life purpose does not mean it will alone make you happy. your life purpose is just a direction not a destination.  Good luck 🙂

Hi Stepan. Sorry to hear you are feeling so empty:( I’ve felt a sort of hole inside of me too for most of my life (52 in May) and I’ve struggled trying to fill that hole with people, religion, drugs, etc…

You are very perceptive when you say it is up to you to find out your purpose, but try not to sell your friends and family short if you have them. The right conversation with the right person at the right time, can open your eyes/heart/mind to possibilities you hadn’t thought of before. Others may notice things about you that you don’t (things you are really good at, or seem to enjoy doing).

It’s a hard time to make recommendations as I would normally highly recommend getting out and doing volunteer work and helping others as that is a win-win situation, but I don’t want to advise you to do anything unsafe. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to do this, or if it will show up, but please feel free to email me at jackiegowest@aol.com (jackie go west at aol dot com) if you’d like to talk. You are NOT alone, I promise you that. Please hang in there and don’t do anything that can’t be undone. The sun WILL come up tomorrow, and tomorrow is a chance to start again, to keep seeking your purpose.

I’m not religious, but when I was going through a really tough time about 10 years ago a lady I worked with gave me the following quote written on a piece of paper that I still keep. It is Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” That last part about “plans to give you hope and a future,” is powerful. I was raised religious, so like the term GOD, but for me it now means galactic omnipresent divinity. I believe we are all part of a collective energy (that helps with the loneliness a little) and that we can harness that energy if we try.

Your post breaks my heart. I want to give you a big hug and tell you this: You DO have future, even if you can’t see it just yet. And guess what? Even if you COULD see it, the future doesn’t usually turn out like we envision it:) My life sure hasn’t turned out like I thought it would! I guess I’m right where I’m supposed to be though. I’ve dealt with incredible loss and heartache and seen some horrible things. But I have also had incredible experiences and seen GREAT beauty in the world and its inhabitants – even the humans:) Here is a poem by Walt Whitman that I think captures what you, me and a LOT of our species struggle with. It’s called A Noiseless Patient Spider.

Please reach out to me at the email above (or reach out to someone) if things get too much to handle on your own. You don’t have to deal with this alone, OK? I also recommend the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Incredible book written about the time of the original Buddha (and maybe based loosely on him) and about finding happiness in just being I think. We have such a hard time with that in the West!!

Peace to you Stepan!