"Explore new identities with no end goal When Maya lost the ability to play violin at 15, her father told her she had been "wearing blinders for 10 years" and gave her a specific summer assignment: "expose yourself to as many ideas and worldviews as you possibly can" — documentaries, books, conversations — but "go on this quest with no end goal in mind." The crucial insight is that searching desperately for "what's my major going to be" causes you to "preemptively close doors because you don't see them as possible," whereas purposeless exploration keeps the imagination open to unexpected matches. Anyone in a transition — after a layoff, a divorce, retirement — can apply this prescription: consume broadly for a set period with curiosity as the only objective, before forcing a conclusion. Source: Maya Shankar, The Mel Robbins Podcast, Life Takes a Turn"