My adolescence and early twenties were dominated by boredom, anxiety, and alienation. I had a few inklings as to what I wanted out of life, but nothing more than broad strokes. High School was not engaging in any way, and I treated it as such. I agitated teachers, skipped classes, and dragged myself into unnecessary trouble. I hoped that college would bring more challenge, more energy, and more excitement. It didn’t.

I was like many young adults; I didn’t have a clear path to the future, but rather had an interest in a number of areas. I didn’t want to be a doctor, or an environmental lawyer, or an ethics professor or investment banker. I didn’t have a niche or a plan. My education was a collection of courses that really didn’t lead to any particular career.

I was the classic underachiever: always told that I should be doing better, but never able to turn the corner and really make things happen. My attitude was something like this: I don’t really care about anything that much, so why invest the energy?

A few professors wanted to help, but none were able to engage me in a way that was significant. I muddled through, making pretty good grades, but never got deeply involved in anything. Sometimes I was hopeful and at ease; mostly, though, I was depressed, frustrated, and doubtful. I didn’t believe in spirituality. I didn’t believe in the American Dream. I didn’t believe in the future. My parents were very supportive, encouraging me at every turn, hopeful that I’d somehow catch a fire.

I yearned for something more meaningful, something that I could sink my teeth into. Frustration, alienation, and doubt had brought me to my knees. My energy had diminished and hopelessness set in. I didn’t know how to mobilize the desire for fulfillment into something positive. Instead, I turned the other way and withdrew into bad habits and more estrangement. I finished college with a $200,000 education and no idea of what I wanted to do. I was twenty-two years old, but all of the youthful, hopeful life energy had been sucked out of me.

I fell into my first job, taking the first thing that came along. It was relatively easy, good money, and came with a solid career path. For a couple months that first job was fun- I was making a good living, meeting some good co-workers, and wasn’t stressed out at all. Maybe, I thought, things will turn around for me. The honeymoon, however, lasted only 90 days.

One day, after a series of mind-numbing tasks, I decided I needed a change. I was at the end of my rope. I felt like my life and my career had no purpose. Desperation set in again. I asked myself some tough questions- “What do you want out of life? What is meaningful to you? What are you living for?” My soul was wrapped in knots. In my deepest core, I believed that there was something more for me. But my experiences, my mind, and my behaviors showed nothing but faithlessness.

At the same time, a colleague suggested that a coach might help me. This colleague had hired a coach when she was struggling with time-management and had really become a superstar in our department. I was convinced. I hired that coach and went to work.

We began by tapping into my purpose and figuring out the most important, most fulfilling experiences of my life. I wrote a life purpose statement, and kept it in front of me every day. I clarified my vision of the future and started to get results with a high success rate in all areas of my life. I had always struggled with decisiveness and prioritization, but my coach worked with me to create priorities and clear up exactly what results I wanted to attain.

By looking very closely at my life, I started to learn from my mistakes. I made a list of positive life lessons to refer to when I was struggling with something. I also started to focus on what was good, what was right in my life, and the who and the what that supported me. I created a mid- to long term plan for what I saw in my future.

At the same time, I found faith. My struggles led me to a discovery of my spirituality. As if overnight, the doubts, the alienation, the lack of hope vanished. Suddenly, my life was rich. I could see the beauty of the world, our inter-connectedness, our purpose. In the course of regaining my own dignity, I learned the greatest lesson of all. Our dignity and our possibilities are only limited by our own constraints.

An image kept coming back to me, a picture of my old self and my friends. All of us were struggling to find our way, find our niche in the world, and get results. We were living without purpose. None of us knew what we really wanted, and what we were supposed to do. The image was a strong contrast to what I was experiencing now that I had found some new tools to work with.

Suddenly, amazingly, my energy had picked up, life was easier, and I felt a sense of peace and truth I had never before known. No longer was I the underachiever, the bored student, the frustrated employee. I had found a purpose. And that’s when it struck me. I could turn my struggles into something positive. I could pass along some of the wisdom I had learned. I could help young adults, people in their teens and twenties find their purpose.

If this could work so well for me, it probably could help most anyone. Through a repeatable, tangible, and structured process, I’d gone from bored to invigorated in just a few months. I couldn’t believe that I could make such a positive leap forward in less than a year.

I studied the coaching process intently, making sure that I wasn’t over-simplifying things. I read everything related to coaching that I could get my hands on. The ideas of purpose and possibilities were interweaved with everything coaching was about. This struck a chord with me- coaching paralleled my own beliefs in dignity, faith, and possibility. I asked my coach questions about the process of change, trying to gain as much insight as I could. I trained for two years, getting secure with all of the tools of the coaching repertoire.

I decided to dedicate the rest of my professional life to getting young adults on track to success. Every family should know that there is a way to help young adults. It’s time to end the boredom, anxiety, and alienation so many young people experience. I can help them relieve some of the pain of underachievement, the lack of hope, and the doubts about the future. Everyone between 17 and 25 can find their purpose, tap into their talents, get some meaningful results, and be successful.

To serve young adult clients and their specific needs, I’ve created the Path to Purpose Program™. This program helps young clients find purpose, get results, and increase their well-being and head for success. I believe passionately in the potential of every young adult and I am fulfilled to by helping them achieve their dreams.

Best Wishes,
Hayden Shumsky

Credentials
-Member International Coaching Federation
-Trained by the Success Unlimited Network

Volunteer Work
-Jewish Federation NYC Young Leadership
-Coalition for the Homeless NYC
-Member Rotary Club of New York