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Not Sure What to Do With Your Life? Richard Branson Says Start by Asking These 2 Simple Questions

Jessica Stillman
4 min readMar 16, 2021

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When you were little, you probably knew exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up. But when we get older and realize becoming a ballerina/astronaut is unlikely, this classic childhood question becomes way harder to answer. Plenty of us make it all the way to adulthood — maybe even decades into a career — without really knowing what we want to do with our lives.

One option is to muddle through with whatever job you landed in. That pays the bills, but a heap of research suggests you’ll eventually regret it bitterly. Plus, the world needs more humans who are passionately acting on their deepest talents and vision.

So how do you get out of your current fog of confusion to a place where you actually know what steps to take? Virgin founder Richard Branson offered a simple two-part suggestion on his blog.

Grab a pen and paper …

“‘What on earth should I do?’ is a question every entrepreneur asks themselves at one point or another. If you tackle the challenge with curiosity and a can-do attitude, it is also the question that will launch your career,” writes Branson. I’d bet the confusion isn’t limited to entrepreneurs.

But whether you’re an employee or a founder in the making, Branson’s prescription is the same: Grab a pen and paper and answer the following two dead simple questions:

  1. What do I love? “Make a list of all the things you are passionate about or that interest you. It doesn’t matter how trivial or random the items are, or if they don’t appear to lead to an entrepreneurial idea — one could spark an idea that turns into a business,” Branson explains. Aspiring or serial entrepreneurs can go on to consider which interests might align with an industry that’s ripe for disruption, or ways you could improve businesses you already love. But passions can be a powerful source of career inspiration for other professionals too. For instance, Bill Gates claims that you’re most likely to become a world-class performer at something you did for fun in high school (like programming in his case).
  2. What do I dislike? For entrepreneurs, annoyances can be a powerful source of startup ideas. After all, if it…

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Jessica Stillman

Top Inc.com columnist/ Editor/ Ghostwriter. Book lover. Travel fiend. Nap enthusiast. https://jessicastillman.com/