6 Powerful Questions That Will Change Your Life Forever

“Information is not knowledge.” ~Einstein

A few years ago I was lost. Frustrated. Scared. Unsure. Anxious. Trapped. Unfulfilled. Stuck in a dead-end job. Smothered by society’s expectations. Didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life.

I cared for myself enough to change my life, but I didn’t have the slightest clue where to start. I spent my days wishing that things would change—that I could escape a life that my soul could no longer bear.

The worst part of all, I was living the life that society had always told me to live. “Find a secure job, work hard,” they would say. “Get a solid job and work your way up the ladder.”

I don’t know about you, but it turns out that for me, the “right thing to do” sucked the joy out of life.

Imagine feeling trapped in an unsatisying existence. Wasting your precious time doing things that you really don’t want to be doing. Being afraid to express your uniqueness. Having fun on the weekends then dreading the upcoming week. Maybe you don’t have to imagine it; maybe your life is just like mine was, few moments of satisfaction drowned out by a constant grind of work that doesn’t fulfill you.

Then something hit me. It was a proverbial hammer to my head. I’d heard it before, but it had never sunk in. Then, as if out of nowhere, a voice in my head spoke loudly and clearly.

“Discover who you truly are and fully give every aspect of your uniqueness to the world. This is your path to an extraordinary life.”

I followed this wisdom as if my life depended on it. And I can tell you that my life has changed for the better since I followed this guidance.

I can tell you without any doubt that the greatest piece of wisdom that I’ve discovered in my life thus far is this:

If you want to live an extraordinary life it is imperative that you know who you truly are, and to do so you must explore who you truly are.

These 6 questions changed my life forever. They will also change your life forever by allowing you to find your true self, and in doing so, discover why you’ve been born into this great world.

I’m not talking about the “self’” that others demand you to be or the self that acts a certain way to fit in and conform with what society accepts. I’m talking about the true you—the you who wants to authentically express your special and unique qualities to the world.

By answering these questions you will discover your unique passions, strengths, values, desires, and motivations, which are all yearning for your expression.

You have a unique purpose. Discovering the answers to these questions will allow you to align yourself with that purpose and bring real magic into your life.

Self-knowledge is the greatest knowledge that you will ever acquire. Why? Because your ability to fulfill your unique internal drive will determine your ability to fulfill your potential, which in turn determines the quality of your life.

The questions below are designed to help to know yourself deeply and find what is truly important to you. We all have an unexpressed potential; the exercises are specifically designed to help you find yours.

1. What do I absolutely love in life?

List anything that you love about the world and the people in your life. Think about any activities that get you excited and enthusiastic and make you feel most alive. This can be absolutely anything: music, sports, cooking, teaching others, learning, watching movies—anything. Within your love for these things lies deep passion.

2. What are my greatest accomplishments in life so far?

List all of the moments that you are proud of as well as the times that you’ve succeeded. To have accomplished these, you would have used some of your key strengths. See if you can identify why you succeeded. Also, list any activities, hobbies, or anything else that you do that you complete with ease. Within these lie greatest strengths.

3. What would I stand for if I knew no one would judge me?

List everything that you would do if you weren’t afraid, even your wildest dreams. This will help you discover your greatest values.

4. If my life had absolutely no limits and I could have it all and do whatever I wanted, what would I choose to have and what would I choose to do?

Describe your ideal lifestyle. List what you would do throughout the day if you knew that you were bound to be successful, what kind of person you would be, how much money you would earn, and where you would live.

This question allows you to realize who you would truly want to be if there were no limits. By aligning with this you can begin working towards the life that you truly want to create. Know that you wouldn’t have a desire if you didn’t also have the ability to fulfil it.

5. What would I do if I had one billion dollars?

List everything that you would really love to do if you had all the money in the world. Okay, so you would probably travel the world, buy a house or two, and give some money to your family. Then what would you do with your time?

This question helps you to think without limitations. When we are able to remove limitations and boundaries, we can discover what we really want to do.

6. Who do I admire most in the world?

List your greatest inspirations and the qualities that you admire about these people. Think about what really inspires you in this world. What you admire about others is also a quality that is in you. Know that you admire someone because they have similar qualities to you.

Taking the time to answer these question will change your life. The more that you can implement your passions, strengths, values, desires, and motivations into your days, the happier your life will become!

You can study to become a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or anything else, but this knowledge will only take you so far. Meanwhile, discovering the deep wisdom of self-knowledge will ensure that your life is far more meaningful and fulfilling. I’ve got a feeling that is what Einstein meant when he said “Information is not knowledge.”

The most valuable knowledge that you will ever discover is, and always will be, within.

Photo by Vinny123

About James McWhinney

James McWhinney is the author of The Wellbeing Revolution. James is committed to living an incredible life and empowering others to do the same. If you want to boost the love, happiness, and fulfillment in your life, check out his website at www.thewellbeingrevolution.com.

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Did you enjoy this post? Please share the wisdom :)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Srinivasan-Sankaranarayanan/597507703 Srinivasan Sankaranarayanan

A brutally honest set of questions which has made me think.

Thanks James

Srini
http://antipodez.net/ antipodes

Here’s a thought: try stopping the faking. See what happens. That seems like a good initial challenge.

After you’ve done that for a while, come back, try answering the questions, and figuring out a way forward from there.

But you’re not going to get anywhere new until you stop walking around at the end of the same dead end path.
Deepa

This is a very useful post, thanks!
gas

to lose a family member brings life into prespective my daughter and wife to be mean everything to me family do to and freinds and to make a smile on another persons face and help them is all i aspire to be to make my brother proud and to b half the man he was ( not to b him just take a few ov his values ) would make me happy good post and if i had more money id have more problems lol peace
P

This is one of the best posts I have come across anywhere….Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ursula wood

Excellent coaching questions that probe for a deep meaningful answer from within. Many thanks, I will go away & do the work of answering them. Thank you x
Alii

I red this about 5 times to fully understand it. Once I understood and could connect things, I literally started to cry. This is one of the best posts that I have read on a website
Hugo

What now??
juck17

This is really beautiful. I’m seventeen and am going to college in a few months and was wondering if I was making the right decision with my choice of major and career and this helped my realize that I am 100% on the right path. Thank you sir!
Bryan Johnston

An excellent post, and one of those all-too-rare moments when we read something that seems to be written specifically for us. Every thought, every idea, every emotion spoke to me. It is me. It has taken me nearly 37 years to realize that the things I want and feel passionate about are not frivolous and childish. That everyone’s idea of “normal” is and should be different, speaking to us as individuals.

I have been asking – and answering – myself these very questions for the past six months, and as a result am about to embark in an entirely new direction. Thrilling and terrifying. It’s nice to see the questions so succinctly articulated in one place…and to see that I am not alone in wanting and expecting more. Thanks, James.
Lovel

1. The things I love are also the things that make me depressed
2. I have no accomplishments so far
3. Nothing
4. I would become a ghost so I wouldn’t have to live through all the troubles and could just watch.
5. I would probably give the 1 billion dollars away because I don’t even know what I would want to do.
6. I admire no one.
fsdf

Not just powerfull but really really helpfull
Lisa H.

What I find interesting is how lifes answers come in the form of asking the right questions. The question I found most resonated with me was “if my life had absolutely no limits and I could have it all and do whatever I wanted, what would I choose to have and what would I choose to do?” I 40 years old and have yet to answer this fully. And I know, part of the reason is that if/when I answer it fully, I will feel a push towards making it my reality and I am not sure whether I want to deal with that yet.
I also like the one about who I admire most in the world. I like the idea of seeing qualities I like in someone else and cultivating them in myself. Thanks for these questions. Now it is a matter of taking the time to reflect on and answer them.
God

If you, like me, don’t buy this, just remember that suicide is an alternative.
Stefani

Google brought me to this page and the opening paragraphs describe exactly where I am right now. I’m blessed in life and have some wonderfull successes in it too, but feel there is one almighty gap. I feel I’m not fulfilling an unknown dream if that makes any sense! So I have just sat down with a pen and paper to think through the questions …. Thank you xoxo
LadyAngler

I broke down crying today reading this post. At age 50 I have been working in the corporate world, enduring toxic bosses and backstabbing coworkers to the point of becoming severely depressed and sick.

I am trying so hard to answer these questions and figure out how to make a living doing something I am passionate about. My love for nature, animals, fishing, outdoors, simple living, art, helping others and the ability to overcome many hard knocks in life…there has got to be something out there for me that is better.

I am dying a slow, painful death in the corporate world. Big salary, fancy car, keeping up with Jones’ boss and coworkers and high pressure job in big highrise office building – I feel like I am selling my soul to the Devil.

I hate it, I am miserable and I am desperate to quit and find something where I can wake up and be happy instead of feeling like I am going to throw up. Yea, my job is that bad.

I pray I find happiness soon and am hoping these questions turn on a light bulb so I can climb out of this darkness and feel normal again. I want to quit my job now but I support myself and my son, dont want to use what little savingsI have then be stuck unemployed. Wish me luck! Thanks for your post.
http://twitter.com/cipherseraphi grace ann garcia

thank you very much.. I wrote all the questions on my journal and I will answer the questions with all my heart… I think this will help me a lot to become who I wanna be and be what I wanna be,, =)…
Ananya

I have never been able to find a way to move towards discovering myself till I asked the 6 questions to myself. I am really glad that this step has brought in the beginning of clarity into my life
amrsamy

Lets change this questions to : 1- Why im created ? , 2- What does the creator want from me ? , 3 – What happens after death ?, 4 – Is there really a hellfire and a paradise after death ?, 5 – What did the creator of everything do to guide me to his way ? – If you really find answers to this questions, you will be the happiest one on this earth, and you will feel how mature you’re.
Chris Warble

1 – I was created to serve the creator, 2 – The creator wants from me my undying worship and gratitude, 3 – After death I will be judged for my actions on Earth, 4 – Maybe there is and maybe there isn’t, 5 – The creator guided me his way by putting people on Earth that have drilled this nonsense into my brain since birth. Thanks for the post, I’m changing my religion to undecided.
anand

people in our world are filled with untapped potential ! your post definitely play as a key to open it and not only that, it also acts as a guidance to all who find themselves lost in treacherous mountains of life ! thank you n continue your good work ! cheers.
http://www.facebook.com/ananth.narayanan.7 Anand Narayanan

nice post ! serve as a path for the ones who lost in treacherous path of life. questions have to be answered. life has to be lived. and there is only one life. so, don’t allow regrets to creep in, rather be a pizza boy if you wish to do ! what you love, go for it !
Chris

I Enjoyed this
Karun

Thank you very much
thuxua

If I can’t answer any of these questions, am I really lost?
Dennis

I just found this web site today (4/20/13)…Candace I bet your post hits a lot of us heading into the last 3rd of our existence in the heart. When I was 20 or so, dreams and the energy they created kept me up at night with enthusiastic anticipation…But back then I thought I had forever to act on them. Now, a whole lot of living out of necessity and survival has taken the place of my dreams. They are so distant that this exercise is a whole lot harder than it would’ve been back then. I’ve spent my entire life with a few very brief segments, living to please everyone but me. I’m 62 and have this recurring feeling that I’ve managed to squander the lion’s share of a tremendous gift. Although I’ve had some very precious and notable events in my life, most has been spent in living a life of quiet desperation. Up until now I’ve lacked the courage to step out and make the gift of getting to live on this planet meaningful. Finding this site has been a gift and I give thanks to the author of this article. —A great place to start…
Dennis

By the way Candace, I hope your dreams are materializing now and the cancer is only a memory.
hippiehappy

I wish you the best in making a decision about your career that will bring you satisfaction. Acknowledging what you do not like is sometimes the best first step toward achieving what do you do want. What I can say is, there is no job worth making one feel the way this job seems to be making you feel. Of course in the real world we must be practical, so finding a new job is ideal before moving on, but definitely move out of that toxic environment as soon as possible.
Katherine

I love hippie happy’s answer. I’m 22 right now and soon to graduate; what you feel is exactly what I fear to be when I’m older. I hope that you can find something to do which you love and get out of that environment ASAP! It is crushing your soul. You said you get a big salary, fancy car, yet you love simple living. Perhaps that’s where and to wh you need to go back
Katherine

Go back to**, a simple lifestyle.
Maybe that’s exactly what you need, it will help with your savings and make you happier… It’s a big change but better than NO CHANGE.
You have a child, and experience in work force..
Katherine

& if you don’t do it for urself, do it for UR son. He’ll appreciate it more and can look up to you when he gets to this point. You will be HIS inspiration
Jit

I wish I could answer. For example … with reference to the last question – there are lots of people I admire but bits and pieces. Some from another time. Each of these questions are potent but very fuzzy.
No easy path for I has been asking similar questions for a while now .
Dylan Albino

“Adventure, Exploring, Nature, Learning knew things, How stuff works,
Space, Action.
Finding inner peace, Helping others.
Bullying, The rights of all living things.
I would live each day traveling, exploring the world, Discovering
new things, helping people!
Travel, put money into funds to stop bullying, help the ones really in,
need.
I admire anyone who does what they want, when they want.”
My answers to the questions, but now what? I’m 17 years old, Just graduated and want to do something with my life that i have no idea what I am suppose to be doing, I’ve meditated, Searched my mind for the answer, but All i can feel, and all i see is you will not get somewhere without the money, I don’t know what job field is best for me with my answers, I’m stuck, and I am lost, If anyone has any suggestions, I would be most grateful.
Tvivl

What if one doesn’t know the answers to these questions?
Dez

Thank you for posting this. I’m 22, still studying and feeling the pressure to grow up and choose a career as everyone around me has already started their serious adult lives. I’m so unsure of what I want to do or who I want to be. I can’t believe I already feel behind at 22. This post has reassured me to relax and consider what is most important.
Sanjeev yadav

Brilliant i loved it I was feeling so depressed but after reading this i know my potential i know where i stand and where i have to go Thank you so much for such beautiful words!
nou

I feel trapped, and I also care for myself enough to making a change. Your post is very inspiring. I feel so happy just to write answers to your questions. I hope I will find a way.