It’s a question that can feel both simple and profoundly complex: “¿Qué te gustaría hacer?” What do you really want to do?
This isn't just idle chatter; it's a deep dive into our desires, our motivations, and the often-unseen paths we tread. I was recently looking through some song lyrics, and a recurring theme kept popping up. Lines like, “Mejor abrir los ojos para saber / Lo que te gustaría hacer” – “Better open your eyes to know / What you'd like to do.” It struck me how often we might be, as the lyrics suggest, “giving steps to the side,” perhaps “paralyzed by the fear of knowing the truth.”
Think about it. We can get so caught up in the day-to-day, the obligations, the expectations, that we stop truly listening to that inner voice. We might be living too fast, or perhaps not fast enough, losing sight of the point where we should be slowing down and checking in with ourselves. The lyrics from one song mention, “Nunca dormí tan poco / Tal vez viva demasiado” – “I never slept so little / Maybe I live too much.” It’s a powerful image of being constantly on the go, perhaps missing the quiet moments needed for introspection.
And then there’s the idea of what we’ve experienced shaping us. “Todo este tiempo vivido me sirve de ejemplo / Para no volver a caer” – “All this time lived serves as an example / To not fall again.” Our past experiences, both good and bad, are valuable teachers. They offer us lessons, helping us understand what we want to avoid and, crucially, what we want to move towards.
It’s about recognizing that life isn't always about a straight line. Sometimes, we take detours, we stumble, we find “a new way of speaking” after what felt like a standstill. The key, as these lyrical reflections suggest, is to “open our eyes.” It’s about being present, observing our surroundings, and more importantly, observing our internal landscape. What sparks joy? What feels like a genuine pull? What makes our hearts feel alert, as the lyrics put it, “Mi corazón esta alerta y el tuyo también” – “My heart is alert and yours too”?
This isn't about grand pronouncements or life-altering decisions every single day. It can be as simple as choosing a different route home, trying a new recipe, or dedicating a few minutes to a hobby you’ve let slide. It’s about cultivating that awareness, that gentle curiosity about your own inner compass. Because when you start to truly understand what you’d like to do, even in the small things, you begin to build a life that feels more authentic, more aligned, and ultimately, more yours.
