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We human beings have many ways of knowing what we need to know in order to get through our lives. One way of knowing things is to engage in a course of study in an academic environment.

Another great way of knowing things is simply to go through the experiences that come our way, making a conscious effort to learn from them.

Have you ever wondered why we believe what we do—why we follow the traditions we do, or where those customs came from?

When we were small children, we’d often use the word “why”—usually in the form of a question, directed at a person older than us. How often we’d pester others with that question! And each answer, it seemed, triggered another question—another why.

But as we became 8 or 9 years old, our curiosity began to wane. We stopped asking why so frequently. What was the reason? Was it because we thought we knew everything at that point? No. For some reason we became comfortable with the status quo. Most of us began to accept things the way they are—without question.

Perhaps the expressions of frustration from those who didn’t have time to answer or who didn’t know the answers to our questions squelched our curiosity somewhat. Or maybe we got the impression that there are no answers to most whys. Whatever the cause, we began to learn that it’s a whole lot easier to accept most things as they are without asking why.

It’s so effortless to follow the crowd, to succumb to pressure from peers, to do what comes naturally—what we feel satisfies us, whether or not it really is beneficial.

What a shame to lose our curiosity! What problems and wasted hours we could avoid if we would only examine ourselves to see why we do the things we do—and if we ought to be doing them.

What do you want to be when you grow up? For some it may be a disturbing notion to consider that even in our late twenties, thirties and beyond we may still find ourselves asking this question of ourselves.

How to Figure Out What You Want in Life