So many people seem to be lacking meaning or direction that I've found that it has become a speciality of mine to help individuals find meaning and direction in their lives.
And, the more I delve into the matter, the more that I come to believe that each of us is called to a very particular kind of work and life.
And, over the last few decades, I have helped many people of all adult ages to find the life and work that is right for them.
What is relatively new for me is the number of young adults who have come to see me because they are feeling confused about meaning and direction in their lives.
These are people of the generation after the millennials - the so-called Gen z - people who were born between 1995 and 2012, the oldest of them now being 23.
On the whole, these are people who really want to make a difference in the world. Many just don't know how.
Through these people I have come to respect that, in some important ways, the way forward for them is different from any generation before.
In fact, their world is different from any world that has come before:
• They are the first generation that has grown up in a world in which there have been smartphones since they were born.
• They are also the first generation in which the internet was commonly available since before they were born.
• They are the first generation who had FaceBook available to them when they became teenagers.
• They have developed in a highly interconnected world with exponential growth in access to knowledge (and of knowledge itself).
• This group as a whole is much more digitally literate than even the millennials (who were born between 1981 and 1996) and they leave most of their parents trailing in the digital dust.
• Most of Gen z generation are used to switching frequently between different tasks and simultaneously attending to a wide range of stimuli in a way that looks like Attention Deficit Disorder to many of their parents.
• One the whole, Gen z are more entrepreneurial than millennials and a growing number of them cannot see the sense of tertiary education.
Of course, there are many things that are not different. They want love, get hurt, seek enjoyment, suffer losses and get frustrated and angry just like we all do.
Part of the problem is that people of Gen z have to process so much information that they tend to bypass signals from their bodies. As a result, many are lost in their heads and they need skilled help to get back to a state of being in touch with their bodies.
The bottom line is that, without acute awareness of our bodies, we all lack meaning and direction.
Why?
Well:
• we only know the things that are important to us because we feel that they are important to us.
• we only know that a particular direction is wise for us - because we feel that it is.
• we only know that we love or dislike someone or something - because we feel it to be so.
And some of those feelings are subtle.
But, they are vital none the less!
So, whether you're 18 or 68, and you're feeling lost in this way, the first step forward is to get back in touch with your body so that you can feel what is right, wise or good for you.
And if you want any help with that, please feel free to set up a free 20 minute chat by clicking here.