One Simple Step to Knowing If You're On the Right Path (The Million Dollar Question)

Here I am again. I'm sitting in front of my computer during a late night shift at a job that I don't hate enough to quit. Paralyzed by choice.

I rapidly Google online tests to tell me whether or not I should stay at this job, in this place, with my significant other. The answers are unsatisfying at best.

Everything seems to point to quit, move, leave them. Yet... that doesn't feel right.

On any given day my gut instinct about these three big questions sways in a totally different direction. How can you possibly make big choices like these without feeling like you're leaving another option behind?

In today's world there are so many opportunities sprawled out in front of us. I've found this one simple question has gotten me on the right path when I'm really struggling to come up with the answers myself.

Sitting here in front of my computer, I have long forgotten the first time I asked myself this. When I ask myself this question again, it will likely change the path I'm on for the better and I feel a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders.

[Note from a year later: It did drastically change everything. I moved halfway across the country and then back again after asking the big question again!]

The Million Dollar Question

It goes like this: If you had a million dollars right now, what would you do? 

Simple right? Well... try answering that question and you can get quite indecisive quickly.

The real root of this question is much more direct. It is helpful in deciphering want to do and in-turn what you usually should do.

If you had a million dollars right now, what would you do?
By that I mean specifically:

• How would you spend your time?
• Where would you live?
• Who would you be with?
• Where and how would you work?

The answers to your indecisiveness most likely hides within this question; you just have to look in the right places.

​You may not be able to achieve the full vision of your answers (for now), but it should help get you on the right path.

Personal Indecisiveness

Screenshot from Mr. Nobody.

For me, I've asked this questions quite a few times in my life. I am notoriously indecisive about personal things.

I seem to be able to lock down professional decisions easy enough, but personal matters feel immensely more overwhelming .

It's a hard feeling to full express with words. The movie Mr. Nobody sticks with me to this day as the best representation of this personal choice paralysis. 

Every time I've stepped back and remembered to ask this question, it has set me on a path that was much more enjoyable and fruitful than what I was chipping away at aimlessly.

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Another article called "15 Ways to Tell If You're On the Right Path" has some great questions to ask yourself if the million dollar question wasn't enough.

Also, Live Your Legend and Project Life Mastery are great sites with TONS of resources to help you become independently happy with your career..

Hopefully sharing this will help some of you. I'd be interested to hear who else struggles with the same issue and how you make these big decisions. ​

(By the way, I chose to stay at this job for now, consider moving closer to home but enjoy where I'm currently living until then, and stay with my significant other for the foreseeable future. That last one wasn't really in question this time, but it's come up before and I've answered it the same way.)