Yes. Deji is here with instructions on how to live your life because you have been doing it catastrophically wrong.
That was obnoxious. I apologize. If you are still reading though, I would like to share with you some of the things I'm learning. This year, especially, I've been on an interesting journey of discovery; of purpose, of ambition or whatever you choose to call it. I can give some of the credit (or the blame) for setting me on this journey to an old friend of mine who said to me not too long ago:
You cannot live life for yourself, you will never be able to satisfy yourself
This stuck with me and I thought about it more and more as time wore on, thinking about my life, career, goals, ambition. What was it all about? Where did it end? Did it end? Would it ever be enough? Critically, would it fulfill me? What was the point?
I knew it wouldn't, so I filled my hours with learning, thinking knowledge was the answer but knowledge of itself is its own kind of misery. I tried to spend my time connecting with friends and associates, and that helped but still there was a huge emptiness. I took up photography, believing that if I could just learn to appreciate the beauty around me, this nagging would go away. This worked for a while, distracted me; but still tugging at my shirtsleeves was the ugliness, the ills of this world, the helpless, the needy.
It made sense then; "You cannot live life for yourself". There are people in this world that need you. Need me. Everyone has a need, a question, a problem... and everyone has an answer. Each one of the 7 billion of us is a source, we all have the potential to be a solution to a problem. There is so much wrong going on right now and we can no longer choose to ignore it because if it isn't on our doorstep today, tomorrow it will be at our dinner table.
Give to the poor, feed the hungry, defend the weak, teach. Act, if only for the humanity that ails us.
So how should you live your life?
For others.
EDIT: I should probably be clearer. I'm not suggesting that you live your life to make others happy, or to please others. That would not necessarily be a ruthlessly authentic way to live. What I am proposing is that we live our lives in service and in aid of others. This does not mean people will like you or approve of what you're doing, you will likely face a lot of opposition. You are not seeking approval, or to please anyone.