4 Questions that Can Change Your Life

“The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions.”  -Anonymous

We tend to ask lot of questions when we were kids but as we grew our curiosity was killed.

Questioning is the ability of the intelligent mind. Right questions produce right results. We stopped questioning and we stopped our own growth. As Voltaire says “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”

But my point is “Are we questioning ourselves?”

 

Most of the time we are so shy or lazy to ask… Let’s explore 4 questions that we should ask ourselves to gain more self-knowledge. Because the only person that can answer these questions is: You.    

I am not saying that these questions are final or absolute, but these are very fundamental queries that would help you gain insights about your current state of living.

 

The Questions:

 

Question 1: Do you know yourself completely?

Once a curious seeker asked Socrates “Can you explain the secret of success in just two words which should contain the entire worlds wisdom.” Socrates replied “ Know thyself. ” Brilliantly brief answer. When you understand yourself  you begin to understand the world. A person may be known as a  walking encyclopedia, another may have read entire library by heart but all this is of no value when he is not aware of himself.

Pointers that can help you to understand  yourself  better:

a.      Think : Whenever we got some leisure time we try to fill it with some activity just by calling somebody, watching TV, going for a movie, chatting, gossips etc. We have office time, business time, lunch time etc  but do not have ‘thinking time.’ The only human-factor that keeps us superior to other species(at least in our sense) is our ability to think. Spend some time at least 21 minutes a day to think about yourself. (Yes, Twenty One minutes)

Note: Many people worry about a problem and assume it as thinking. Worrying is not thinking.  Worry brings in fatigue, thinking brings in clarity.

b.    Meditate : As we are spending a lot of time with others except ourselves, we are unable to find clarity in our thoughts and wisdom in our actions. Meditation introduces you to yourself. It cuts all the barriers and shuts all the unwanted stuff. It allows you to think in crystal clear. It soothes you and brings calmness.

c.     Ask Friends : when you have close friends you can rely on, ask them your strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes you will be amazed by the insights they provide because they have seen you with their eyes.

d.   Observe  Your  Past : we are here because of the decisions we took in the past. Our past definitely gives us clues to understand our moves.     

            

Question 2: Are you moving towards the right direction?

Whatever the life brings in, which ever situation you are stuck in, We should always move in only one direction: FORWARD   

Once a wise guy observed “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Brilliant idea. Isn’t it.    

 Many of us are stuck in the wrong jobs, we feel that something is missing but can’t understand that elusive part of our lives. Before we wake up and realize our hidden potential, our precious time passes just like grains of sand from our hand. To avoid this situation constantly ask yourself “am I moving in the right direction?”  

Winston Churchill said ““There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction”

Is your conscience giving you hints like the following:

“I shouldn’t have done this…”

“If I could have paid more attention to the details…”

“if I am more conscious…  ”

“I’m stuck…”

If you frequently feel like this, you might need to think again.   

Some pointers that may help you if you are headed in the  wrong direction:

a.     Take action: It’s never too late to do something that moves you ahead

b.    Confess: often we feel relaxed when we express our confessions to the people who are close to our heart.

c.     Be guided: if you know a person who can help you out in this situation, take their help

d.    Find a role model: search for a person who already achieved what you want to achieve and seek their suggestions. Ask how he turned his path to the right direction. If we are wise enough, we can learn from others mistakes too.   

e.     Have vision: if we do not visualize the future prospects, often we shall be trapped in our self-woven paths. So make visualization a part of your every decision.   

 

Question 3: Do you love change?

If our life seems like a routine without much adventures and advancements, it’s definitely lacking change. The great achievers are the people who accepted and embraced change. The people who create the change are known as pioneers.

If we observe our own life, we shall find many instances where we lost opportunities just because we are against change.

Reflect on these situations:

 We don’t want to move to a new job because we fear we may lose our comfort zone. We don’t want to take that first step to build our own business because we fear it might end up in losses. We don’t want to make adventures and risks in life because we feel nervous about the outcome. We don’t want to make that career shift which we always wished for, because we lack the drive to make that move.  Many of us end up our lives doing  mundane jobs which does not ignite our hearts. The hidden reason that’s stopping us in all the above scenarios is: CHANGE.

We do not love change that propels us to a new level. All the change-lovers may not be achievers, but all achievers are definitely change-lovers.

To handle this:

a.     Be the change: Instead of waiting for it to come, you drive the change so that others can follow. Start with small changes in your life gradually intensify and expand it to other areas.

Ex. If you are not punctual to your office or any appointments, try to bring that change into your life from today. See the compliments you will be receiving once you accomplished this for one week. Slowly expand this change to other relationships as well i.e. don’t miss the scheduled time even with close friends or relatives. Don’t take them for granted.

 Once you feel the fulfillment of achieving one task, that will drive you through the rest of the things. In the beginning you should drive the change, later the change drives you.

 

b.    Seek opportunities: Many times we get chances to embrace change but we ignore or neglect. Seize the opportunities that beckon you in different areas of life. May be sometimes you were asked to speak on an occasion, may be someone invited you to a new place. Identify the opportunities

c.     Meet new people: Often in life we are stuck with same kind of people, this is not wrong but we should not stop meeting new people. When you make acquaintance with new people we get to know new thoughts, new way of thinking. The diverse inputs result in diverse outputs.

Note: New people does not mean only strangers. They can also be your colleagues but may be you have not spoken to them often, they can be your neighbors, they can be someone in your vicinity.

d.    Learn a new skill: Research proved many times that you can postpone aging if you feed your brain with new abilities. Scientists observed that people who constantly learn are also leading happy lives without any tensions. Learning is a change for the mind which boosts all your brain cells. Peter F Drucker, father of modern management, used to learn a new subject every three months. Not in his retirement, but when he was a busy Writer, Professor and a Management Consultant.

Busy people have more time to learn new things because they know the value of a new skill. Lazy people don’t have time because they are busy planning…an escape. What a paradox !       

           Try to pick up a new skill that helps you grow. Example

i.              learn a new language(English, French, Italian)

ii.            Understand the art of graphology or body language

iii.           Try a new game or sport

iv.           Create a new hobby like playing guitar etc

v.             Explore new things like- How stock markets work, How do cell phones work etc

 The bottom line is expose your mind to different inputs. If you want to have change in your life ask this question frequently: “When did the last time you did something for the first time?”

 

Question 4: Do you take care of your body?   

We give our vehicle for servicing regularly, we check, if it is in good condition but often we forget the importance of the life vehicle: Our body 

Just like our car and bike our body needs quality fuel (food) and proper attention otherwise it can’t move us to the desired destination. 

We usually make our body a dumping ground for the junk and ruin its power. The body has the stamina to get rid of diseases provided you give it a chance.

Here I am giving you simple techniques to boost your body

a.     Fast: Fasting rejuvenates your body and strengthens the resistance. It generates healing power and cleanses the system. What meditation is to the mind, fasting is to the body. Fast once a week

b.    Drink water: The best things in life are free.... like oxygen, mother’s love and water. We  neglect what we have and seek what we lack. Research has proven that water increases your creativity.  It eliminates toxins from your body and prevents dehydration.  

c.     Go natural: Eat lot of fruits and vegetable salads. Sprouts are best sources of nutrition. Plant-based diet is always a great option compared to animal-based food.

d.    Move your body: lack of physical activity springs many diseases. Swim, jog, play, exercise…do whatever that gives you pleasure.

 

Note: For more  details on how to stay healthy, go through my article “Your temple is on fire”

 

Feedback is the fuel:

If you want to add more questions to the above list or want to have your say, write in the comments below. I love your feedback –ajaY vegeSna  (myinterface@gmail.com)