How does a high-achieving person who has always done well in the school setting figure out what they actually want to do in life, rather than moving onto the next expected step?

This is a very personal decision. Personally, I would defer a year and do something you have always wanted to do. You are already traveling. Is there something that has gotten you really excited in your travels you would like to explore more? Also, you could go to law school and work on finding a job that allows you to do international work. I was like you at one point at a cross roads. I say explore your options but if law school has always been in your heart. Take 1 more year to learn about yourself and then go to law school. Make sure you follow your passions. They will always lead you to the right place.

I graduated from college two years ago, and took some time off to study for the LSAT. I'm in a similar boat as you, having good law school prospects. Law school had always been the plan, but I wanted to give myself the chance not to go. What follows is just the advice I've decided to take for myself, but I hope you'll find it useful: While I was studying for the LSAT, I met someone who introduced me to a new hobby: bridge. I got hooked, started playing more and more, and ended up spending most of last year traveling and playing. It was a lot of fun, but I also learned something: I do not want to turn that hobby into a career, at least right now. So I'd recommend first, that you give yourself time to explore and see what happens, and second, that you pursue a hobby more seriously. Right now, the risk of investing your time is very low. Maybe the lowest it will ever be, since your LSAT score presumably won't expire for another four or five years, and you can just pick up and go to law school whatever year you choose. So pursue a hobby or one of those off-the-wall dreams, and see whether it's really something that will make you happy. The other thing I'd suggest using this time for is to serve your community. Join an AmeriCorps program, or find an organization that works on a problem you care about. Put your skills to use there. If you can afford it, move somewhere else. The point is: get out a bit and see what it really takes to do some good in the world. Also, I'd work on developing a regular practice of meditation and of exercise. Those being in place already will help you make it through law school. Good luck! Good things will happen in your life. Say yes a lot, right now. Take some leaps – keep in mind that you've got that safety net in going back to school.

I know how it feels when you don't know what to do and ask question hoping that someone can help or give you an answer for your question, but this question usually can't be answered by anyone, but you. I will provide my hindsight that may be it can help you figuring out the answer for your question somehow. I'm an overachiever just like you and thought I knew what I was supposed to do. But last year, I need to make my decision about my future career, and suddenly I realized that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, particularly my career. I kept thinking about it and couldn't make up my mind. I even talked to people in those fields to make sure that I wasn't going to make any wrong decisions while kept asking myself these typical questions: What if, When, Where and How. I was ambivalent about this for a period of time that I finally decided to take a gap year and stopped questioning myself those questions. In the gap year (I still have 3 months left), I just simply spent my time on doing what I like, trying new things, traveling and working. I had a journal, where I wrote down my thoughts and attached photos i took from places I went to and things I tried. Once in a while, I would do some self-reflection where I thought about what I did and asked myself if I would want to continue doing that. Not everyone would have the same experience like me, but for the past 9 months, I have learned more about myself and known what I want to do at least for the next 5-10 years. I realized that my supposed-to-be future career in my mind before wasn't what I wanted to do. Those are just my experiences and I'm glad that I did it. I wish you luck finding out your answer.

The problem with this question is that it stems from a particular mindset. The mindset is that you have to figure out what you want to do before you start doing it. But don't you realize this, oh my over achieving friend, that there have to be some parameters for finding out what you want to do with your life? Honestly, when you pose this question, don't you see that there is no way for you to answer it yourself? The reason you have asked this question is perhaps that when you tried to answer it yourself, you were confused. But why were you confused? Because there was no way to find out if the answer you came up with is correct. What is the reason? The reason is the mindset behind the question: that you can figure out what you want to do at once. Naah, never, nope. You cannot. You decide from what you can see, and then you improvise. Pause and think about why "figuring out what to do" is a bad thought process beyond a point. Then go ahead and read this book. Please do. It will change your entire perspective. This is the book you should read.