Powerful Questions That Will Impact How We Live Our Life

If we don’t pause and give ourselves space to ask and answer questions that matter, we may find ourselves living our life without great meaning or purpose. Questions have been the catalyst to my personal transformation and are the source and continually support for living a happy life.

These are a few questions that I ask in efforts to live with greater passion and purpose. There are more – if you haven’t yet please take time to download and review the questions in my Discover Your Why: Life Purpose Questionnaire, here.

I have recently read and reviewed two amazing books that research and address the power of asking questions. You can find the link to both reviews below and pick yourself up a copy of these book by using the amazon links provided.

Ask More by Frank Sesno

A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger 

Here are just a few powerful questions that have had an amazing impact on how I live my life.

If time and money were not an obstacle how would I live my life?

The reality is money is a necessary part of life and time is limited and for that reason they can and do represent obstacles in our life. However, perhaps unnecessarily so.

The biggest issue with a constant attention of time and money is that they have the tendency to dictate to us paths we should take. Sometime these paths are not purposeful to living the life we truly desire.

When I first discovered this questions I really started to put life into greater perspective. It allowed me to really go within and think about how I would live this life if money and time didn’t represent a challenge. It allowed me to remove external guidance, motivators and the unnecessary so I could incorporate more of what I loved and what gave my life more meaning.

If all my needs were meet what would my goal in life be?

We are all constantly in chase of an ever expanding array of perceived needs and desires. It is our nature to continually seek out pleasures and avoid pain – it is our genetic disposition for survival. In the modern age it has a tendency to mislead us.

The more we desire the more we get trapped in the chase. The things we have and do end up restricting us further form living as freely and as happily as we otherwise could. To seek a way out we create more desires that do the reverse and dig us deeper in.

Understand what you truly need as it relates to the life you wish to live and then we will be better at saying yes to the desires that have purpose and no to those that don’t.

Will this truly matter at the end of my life?

This has helped me in many moments and situation really question the value of what I was doing, thinking or saying. It is all a matter of perspective however there are so many things we painful push our way through that when we stop, pause and reflect really will make a lick of difference at the end of our life.

The agreement with your spouse, the anger after being cut off in traffic, the jealousy of a friend or colleague. The pursuit of task, activities or goals that cause high levels of stress and dissatisfaction that we will likely never look back on and say, “thank God I spent my time doing, thinking or saying that.”

The greatest sacrifice in life is the sacrifice of all that we have now in favour of cravings for a future that doesn’t yet exist.

What is your definition of success?

Definition: The accomplishment or aim of a purpose. A person or event that achieves its desired aim.

If you want to wake up at 5am and you do, that is success.

If you wish to call 5 clients today and you do, that is success.

If you want to create new habits or break out of old habits and you do, that is success.

If you wish to create a life of greater happiness and you do, that is success.

I believe the ultimate goal for us all is a deeper sense of continual satisfaction and happiness in the way we live our life. The goals, projects, task, thought, beliefs and behaviours that get us there, matter. If we achieve these milestones and they have the purpose of greater happiness that to me is success. What is your definition of success?

What is your definition of happiness?

Ultimately we all desire happiness. For each of us the path there is unique.

Read this blog to further understand the benefits of this question.

How Do You Define Happiness?

What is the most important to your life?

Do what is most important to you in the moment and in life. If you are busting your arse of dissatisfied with life, change it. If you really wish you were drinking a coffee and reading a book rather than working on some task that will ultimately lead to nothing greater, do it.

Life is short! Well, life is short when we do things without purpose, without meaning, without value, without passion, without love. But life can be long and deliciously beautiful when we live it as we truly desire.

Life is like painting a master piece. Every fine stoke of the brush, like each moment in life, must be given the same precise and precious attention as the next. When we look back at the completed work we will be pleasantly satisfied with the beauty we created and the existence we lived.

Start asking more questions.

Further Reading and Resources 

TED Talks: Ideas worth spreading

Psychology Today: Psychology Today is devoted exclusively to everybody’s favourite subject – Ourselves

Life Hack: Tips for Life

Elite Daily: The Voice of Generation Y

Four Hour Work Week: How to escape the 9-5, live anywhere and join the new rich.

The Minimalists: How to pursue a minimalist lifestyle and be happier.

Mind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain

Rich Roll: Plantpowered Wellness Advocate

The Art of Charm: Build confidence, feel comfortable and networking differently.

American Psychological Association: The largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United State

The Art of Manliness: Encouraging men to be better husbands, fathers, brothers, citizens.

Tiny Buddha: Simple wisdom for complex lives.

Brain Pickings: An inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

Mind Body Green: Lifestyle media brand dedicated to inspiring you to live your best life.

Zen Habits: Find simplicity and mindfulness in life.

Creative NonFiction: “true stories well told.” 

Addicted 2 Success: Motivation & Inspiration Website full of quotes and inspiring articles for entrepreneurs.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.

The Positivity Blog: Practical articles on happiness, self-esteem, productivity and social skills.