If there’s one Ted talk, I’d definitely recommend above all others if you’re at a crossroads in your life and you’re thinking about ‘what happens next’.

It’s one which I loved, and one I recommend to people I speak to quite often, particularly when we talk about finding more happiness at work.

It’s by Professor Bill Burnett, and the fantastically titled “Executive Director of the life design lab” at Stanford university and you can find it here

You see, whilst often people come to me to have a conversation about whether they’ve achieved a level of financial independence to never work again, I’ve realised that for a lot of people, continued work on something you love and like can play an important part in our continued wellbeing.

However, what one question can you ask yourself today to get closer to spending our days doing something we love, something we’re good at and something with purpose and meaning.

In his Ted Talk, Professor Burnett shares one question which has really made me think…

In the element of his talk where he talked about the different plans we might want to put in place he asked one question:-

“If you had all the money in the world, and you knew no one would laugh, how would you spend you time?

It’s an interesting question isn’t it? For me, removing both societal expectation and financial limitations allow you to really think about how you might want to spend your time.

Whatever you decide the answer to that question will be unique…

You may decide that you wanted to work with animals, or start a charity supporting a cause you believe in. You might want to write your first book or direct a movie or simply spend more time with people you love and like.

So, I’m curious… What would your answer be to this question?