6 Questions That Can Change the Way You Live Your Life

In his book Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins states that the quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you’re asking yourself.

While most people spend their lives looking for answers, the reality is that most answers we seek are deep inside ourselves. 

Yet, we often overlook the most crucial lessons because we seek solutions on the outside inside of looking inward.

Being obsessed with questions can take you to places to which answers won’t ever take you. As Einstein once said: 

“The most important thing is to never stop questioning.”

However, if you keep asking yourself the wrong questions, you’ll end up feeling more miserable than satisfied:

• Why does that always happen to me?
• Why do I need to deal with this?
• Why am I not as successful as others?

These questions don’t lead to meaningful answers or solutions but only promote self-pity.

If your goal is to change your life and become an even better version of yourself, you need to start by questioning what you do and think every single day. 

If you, however, choose to run away from the difficult questions, you’re just delaying the pain that you need to face sooner or later.

Reflecting on your past, present, and future is the most powerful personal growth tool you can make use of. And what’s great about it is that it costs you nothing and you can do it every single day.

By asking thought-provoking questions and giving honest answers, you’ll discover who you truly want to be and what kind of life you want to experience.

“It is necessary for a man to go away by himself, to sit on a rock and ask, ‘Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?” 

— Carl Sandburg

What makes you most excited to wake up in the morning?

There’s nothing more energizing than getting up and being excited about the day. Yet, for most people, the reality is the opposite.

Once you know what makes you feel excited in the morning, you can ask yourself how you could bring more of it into your life.

E.g., if you feel excited about certain events such as having dinner with someone, going to the cinema, or spending time on charity work, you can try to find a way to spend even more time doing these things.

One of the main reasons why most people feel miserable instead of excited about their lives is that they don’t take responsibility. They expect someone to come and make them happy.

But the harsh reality is that nobody will work on your happiness or satisfaction. You need to do it.

That might sound like bad news, but the truth is that it’s your greatest asset because nobody can take it away from you.

If you take care of yourself and feel confident, nobody can mess up with your happiness.

What have been the three most important moments in your life?

And what did they teach you?

Quite often, we hold onto significant moments that happened in the past.

Most people don’t remember what they had for lunch yesterday, but they’ll remember how someone betrayed them decades ago.

That’s because we’re much likelier to remember happenings that are tied to specific emotions. And in most cases, these significant moments can influence our lives even years later if we don’t process the feelings.

When answering this question, also ask yourself why these moments are so important to you, how they make you feel, and what they taught you.

How could I get paid to do what I love?

You don’t necessarily need to turn your passion into a paycheck to live a great life. Yet, it’s helpful to at least enjoy what you’re doing.

Most of us spend more than 40 years working for over 40 hours per week. If you hate something that you’re doing for so long, it’ll be hard to find happiness in all other areas of your life.

Admittedly, most self-proclaimed business gurus are trying to sell you a dream that’s meant to fail.

However, it’s true that turning your passion into a paycheck has never been easier than in the 21st century. 

The internet and globalization are making it easier than ever before to start your own business and make money doing what you love.

This doesn’t mean that you should turn your hobbies or passions into a business, it just means that you could do it.

If you’re not satisfied with your current carer, it can be helpful to ask yourself how you could get paid for the things you love doing.

Admittedly, not all hobbies and personal interests can be turned into profitable businesses. And what profitable means depends on your living standard and expectations.

However, if you’re willing to do the work, there might be many ways to do what you love and get paid for it.

What would I do if I wouldn’t have to worry about time and money?

The answer to this question can be your north star throughout your entire life.

If you know what you’d do if you had infinite time and money, you basically know why you’re doing what you’re doing. 

Once you know the answer to this question, you need to ask yourself how to do exactly that, even if you still need to worry about time and money.

If I wouldn’t have to worry about time and money, I’d spend most of my time traveling, visit lots of conferences on personal development and business, heavily invest in my health, and keep growing my business.

As I know my answer to this question, I give my best to show up as the person who doesn’t need to worry about time and money, even though I’m not financially free yet.

What was your greatest failure and how can you turn it into a win?

Learning from mistakes isn’t efficient, but it’s effective. Once you make a big mistake in life or business, you can reflect on it and try to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

Quite often, we carry our mistakes with us for years and struggle to forgive ourselves. Instead, you should allow yourself to process these failures by taking enough time to reflect on them.

When do you feel most alive?

Most people don’t even expect life to be fun and exciting because they became so used to their worries and fears. They tackle one day at a time, not even asking themselves how they could feel more alive and excited.

Whenever you take your current situation for granted, you’re less likely to make a change. There’s nothing worse than accepting the status quo and not wanting to change it.

The truth is that your entire life consists of change, no matter if you like it or not. If you’re trying to play it safe and always live the way you lived in the past, you’re likely taking the biggest risk because everything around you will continue to evolve, no matter how hard you try to avoid changes.

Instead of fearing change, ask yourself when you feel most alive and energized and how you could bring more such moments to your daily life.

I feel most alive when dancing, traveling the world, spending quality time with my loved ones, visiting beautiful places, and eating great food.

If you reflect on what makes you feel most alive, you might realize that it’s the less obvious but simple things in life. Quite often, small habits can help us feel more energized and cheerful throughout our days and it’s your birthright to feel alive and joyful.

Final thoughts

Most people spend their entire life looking for answers without realizing that the most important responses are inside themselves. 

If you want to take your life to the next level, start by asking yourself the right questions and answering them honestly every single day.

The moment you start asking yourself the right questions and giving honest answers is the moment you begin transforming your life.

Being honest isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it.