10 Questions That Might Change Your Life

You can learn a lot just by asking yourself a few questions, and that’s because questions direct your attention and make you think.

If you never ask yourself questions, you may limit the amount of progress that you make in your life.

The questions you ask yourself, or fail to ask yourself, (and the answers you come up with, of course) can alter the course of your life!

So, here are ten questions you can ask yourself – not only today, but on a regular basis, because we change over time:

What Are My Values, And Am I Living Them?

Most people only have a fuzzy idea of their values (e.g. honesty, kindness, openness), which is a shame, because once you know what your values are, it’s easier to make decisions that sustain and build your self-esteem.

If you’ve ever agreed to do something but it didn’t quite feel right, it may have been because your decision was counter to your values, even if you weren’t fully able to articulate what those values were.

When you know your values explicitly, it makes decisions so much easier to make, because any option that goes against your values can quickly be discounted (in most cases).

Knowing your values and living them also create a life that you find fulfilling.

You may find this article helpful here.

What Are My Long-Term Plans?

What is the overall objective of your life?

If you don’t know that, you’ll struggle to plan your time appropriately.

The fact is, you’ll make wiser decisions if you know what you’re trying to accomplish over the next decade or more, because you’ll be able to assess whether what you do is moving you closer to, or further away from, those goals.

Clarify your goals and where you want to be in ten years. Write it all down and refer to it often, updating it when necessary.

What Are The Most Important Things I Need To Accomplish Tomorrow?

When you make the most of each day, you can make the most of your life.

That’s why you should avoid starting a new day without a plan of action, and the best way to do that is give the next day some thought the night before!

What Did I Do Poorly Today And How Can I Do Better Tomorrow?

Evaluate your errors and poor decisions and learn from them, because this is how you improve.

Making a mistake once is just part of life – but making the same mistake more than once because you didn’t learn from it is tragic.

What Did I Do Well Today?

In a similar vein, it’s just as important to identify what you did well, so you can do it again and maybe turn it into a habit (so you don’t need to even think about it any longer, because it’s automatic)!

Identifying and feeling good about your victories also builds your confidence and self-esteem, and helps create an optimistic view of your future (i.e. the long-term plan discussed above), which all make that bright future more likely to happen.

Which Activities And People Are A Waste Of My Time?

Most of us fail to make the most of our time.

For example, we have activities that do little more than serve as distractions (e.g. social media), and we also have people that are just distractions, or worse.

So, think about the activities and people that are costing you more than they’re worth.

That isn’t to say you should necessarily remove all of those distractions from your life, because sometimes we need that type of down-time, but you do need to be aware of the cost of those distractions.

Also, remember it’s said that you are the average of the five people you spend most time with, so doesn’t it make sense to surround yourself with people that support you and help you be a better you?

How Does The Rest Of The World View Me?

This is a very difficult question to answer accurately, but it’s important.

Most of us are clueless about how we appear to others. That isn’t to say we don’t have our own vision of ourselves in our mind – but it’s often far from the truth.

If you can see yourself as the rest of the world sees you, you’ll identify a few simple tweaks that can change your results dramatically.

Note that this is not the same as needing other people’s approval, which can be an unsatisfying way to live your life that can hold you back.

What Are My Greatest Flaws And What Can I Do To Correct Them?

Everybody has a critical flaw that’s holding them back.

However, few people are aware of their most significant flaws, so you should spend some time thinking about this and ask some honest and trustworthy friends for their advice.

What Can I Do To Enhance My Most Important Relationships?

Think about how you can lift your relationships up to the next level. This includes, of course, romantic relationships, as well as those you have with family, friends, and co-workers.

You’ll find a bunch of articles about relationships here, including a course on how to find true love, and another on how to rekindle a relationship that has lost its spark.

Who And What Am I Grateful For?

This is a great question to ask each day, but especially when you’re feeling frustrated or down.

Thinking of the good things in your life will lift your spirits, give you a more optimistic view of life, and make more good things more likely to happen.

You might also want to read this much more detailed article about gratitude.

Conclusion

Some of these questions are a little tough!

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tackle them, because something as simple as a few questions might be all you need to steer your life in a new direction.

However, it’s important to ensure that you’re not just asking and answering the questions – you need to take action when appropriate.

You’ll be glad you did!

And asking yourself questions such as these, and answering them, may be just the incentive you need to start journalling, which has a variety of benefits.

Finally, you might like to check out my brand new course on Introspection & Self-Awareness.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Mini Habits
2. Self Journal