9 Life Guiding Questions You Need to Ask Yourself
There’s no denying the fact that our lives are a direct mirror image of the decisions we make. Sure there may be a rare exception—such as a major health challenge— but in the big picture of life, we are where we are today based on the decisions we made yesterday.
The key to living a happy and fulfilling life is to be proactive with the decisions about where you live and work; decisions about how you treat and interact with others; decisions about how you spend money and handle difficult situations. But perhaps the most important of all is where you are leading your life based on the actions you take that are aligned with your decisions.
Where are you going? What do you want your life to look like five years from now? Ten years from now? Twenty years from now? Are you going to drift with the tides and be a powerless victim to your circumstances or choose to be proactive and take control of your destination?
Regardless of where you are in life, you will benefit from answering these questions. Perhaps they will confirm that you are on the right track. Or, they may open your mind to opportunities you haven’t previously considered. They may reveal the missing link in your quest to find happiness and fulfillment in your life.
Finding clarity and direction for your life
1. What is important to me today? Start by identifying what’s currently important to you. To find the answer, simply look at how you spend your time. This is evidence to you and everyone watching your life as to what appears important to you at this point in time.
2. What should be important to me moving forward? Once you examine the activities that fill your days, you will begin to realize some activities contribute more positively to your life than others. For example, time spent watching TV or surfing the web compared to time invested in relationships, personal growth, or worthwhile projects. It’s time to do some soul-searching and make a list of the things that are truly important to you. You have to be brutally honest with yourself here… lying to yourself is only going to keep you trapped in the loop of unproductive soul-sucking actions.
3. What do I want my life to look like? When you look 5, 10, 20, or 30 years into the future, what do you want your life to look like? What do you want to be doing with your time? Where do you want to be living? Who do you want to be surrounded by?
4. What do I want my days to look like? What type of daily routines would you enjoy? From the time you get up to the time you go to bed, what do you want the typical day to look like? Do you like working with your hands? Do you like helping others? Do you love solving problems?... and the list goes on.
5. What would I enjoy the most? Let loose and make a list of everything that makes your heart feel alive. What excites you? What energizes you? Where’s your passion? Keep writing until you can’t think of anything else.
6. What are my greatest strengths? If your family and friends were asked to describe your most impressive attributes, what would they say? What do you naturally do better than others? What makes you stand out from the crowd? What theme of compliments do you get most often?
7. In what areas do I have extensive knowledge? What areas have you spent the most time learning? Where would you say you have more knowledge than most people? What do you spend time researching that most people could care less about?
8. What’s the greatest value I offer to the market? Make a list of every skill, talent, and ability you have; then put a dollar value next to each one. Your goal is to identify where your personal services offer the highest value to the market.
9. How much money do I want to make? Some people are completely content (and happier) making $50,000 a year and others would be miserable. Don’t let money be your single driving factor but be willing to identify what amount you feel you need in order to cover the lifestyle you want. If you are looking to make a major career decision, you must decide how much money you want to make. Based on where you find yourself today, how important is money to you and how much do you want to earn?
As you process your answers to these questions, ask yourself one more question.
What are my options? Make a list of every option available to you that aligns with your lists. After draining your brain of all possible options, review the pros and cons of each option. Consider seeking advice from people you respect. You might just discover an unchartered coastline that leads you to your dream destination.
Ben Stein said, “The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.”
After answering these questions you find yourself still stuck you can take my course, Jumpstart Your Life. It is designed to help you find clarity, get unstuck, and build tangible momentum in every area of your life!
To get crystal clear on what you want to do with your life, be willing to examine your current lifestyle, ask yourself soul-searching questions, take time to create lists of your choices and goals, and let your subconscious mind help form a plan. Then move forward to a more fulfilling life.