10 Reasons Why People Feel Lost In Life

“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.” ~ Masaru Emoto

Why is it that so many people feel lost in life, not knowing who they are, where they are going, and whether there is any purpose or meaning in their lives? Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions? I have. And that’s why I decided to write this blog post, in the hope that it will bring some clarity to people’s lives and help them find their way back – back to themselves, back to their hearts and back to their life’s path.

Here are 10 Reasons Why People Feel Lost in Life:

1. They have lost the connection with their own heart and Soul.

One of the many reasons why people feel lost in life is because they have disconnected from their own hearts and Souls. They pay too much attention to their rational minds, and to what everyone else has to say, and now they can no longer hear the voices of their hearts, nor can they connect to the wisdom of their Souls.

“It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.” ~ K.T. Jong

2. They live their lives based on what other people believe to be right.

Another reason why people feel lost in life is because they live their lives based on what other people believe to be right for them, based on what other people think to be true. They craft their lives based on the thoughts, beliefs, and ideas that were handed down to them from a very young age by their parents, family members, teachers, friends, society, and every single person with whom they interacted. And because they never took the time to question the authenticity of those beliefs, and whether they had anything to do with who they themselves are, they continued to build, craft and shape their lives based on what other people believe to be right.

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” ~ Buddha

3. They value the opinions of others more than their own.

Even though they have a very wise and trusted counselor within themselves – their heart and Soul, they don’t seem to trust themselves. They constantly seek advice from others, and the opinions of those around them always seem to be more valuable and more important than their own.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~ Steve Jobs

4. They are ruled by fear.

Their hearts are closed and fear seems to govern every area of their lives. Fear seems to be present in their minds, in their hearts, in their homes, in the work they do, in the decisions they make, in the relationships they have and in everything they do. They live in a permanent state of fear, and since love is no longer welcomed, they feel lost, disoriented, disconnected and very unhappy.

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” ~ John Lennon

5. They have a distorted sense of self.

People who feel lost in life tend to have a distorted sense of self. They no longer see their beauty, their light, and their perfection, and they can no longer accept this truth – that who they are is enough! Their vision of reality seems to be darkened and distorted. And all they seem to “see” is how little, unworthy and insignificant they are, and how nothing they do is good enough.

“Resolve to be thyself; and know that he who finds himself, loses his misery.” ~ Matthew Arnold

6. They surround themselves with people who drag them down.

Spending too much time with the wrong crowd is another reason why so many people feel lost in life. When you surround yourself with people who drag you down, people who are constantly whining, blaming, criticizing, gossiping and complaining about everything and everyone, poisoning your mind, your heart and your life with their fears, doubts, and negativity, you will eventually get derailed from your life path, and that will cause you to feel lost.

“People tend to be generous when sharing their nonsense, fear, and ignorance. And while they seem quite eager to feed you their negativity, please remember that sometimes the diet we need to be on is a spiritual and emotional one. Be cautious with what you feed your mind and soul. Fuel yourself with positivity and let that fuel propel you into positive action.” ~ Steve Maraboli

7. They believe every toxic thought that runs through their minds.

Eckhart Tolle said it so beautifully: “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly—you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you. All the things that truly matter — beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace — arise from beyond the mind…” When you believe every toxic thought that runs through your mind, and when you insist on building your sense of self and your entire life based on those thoughts, you can’t help but feel lost.

8. They believe logic is more important than imagination.

People who suffer from a lack of imagination feel compelled to rationalize everything that happens to them. Constantly seeking to give logical explanations, to themselves and to others, for why they can’t move on with their lives, for why they aren’t as happy as they would like to be, and for why their present and future lives will be nothing but a replica of their past. And that’s just another reason why people feel lost in life.

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” ~ Oscar Wilde

9. They are stuck in the past.

They are very attached to their past and everything that happened in it. And they just can’t seem to find a way to free themselves from it, not do they want to.

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

10. They try to control everything.

They can’t seem to understand that life has a natural flow that is always working with them, and so, they choose to push against it by trying to control everything and everyone. As a result, they get imbalanced, they disconnect from their own heart and soul, and they start to feel more and more lost with every day that passes.

“You who cannot even control yourself should hardly aspire to control the universe.” ~ ACIM

We all get lost from time to time, and even though you might not always like it, you have to understand that it’s all part of this adventure called life. It’s all part of your journey. If you immerse yourself fully into every experience and every interaction life sends your way, no matter if good or bad, you will have so much to gain. And when the time comes for you to return “Home”, you will never return empty handed, but with many valuable lessons, great insights and a lot of wisdom. So always remember, “It is good to feel lost… because it proves you have a navigational sense of where ‘Home’ is. You know that a place that feels like being found exists. And maybe your current location isn’t that place but, Hallelujah, that unsettled, uneasy feeling of lost-ness just brought you closer to it.”