"Judge of a man by his questions rather than by his answers."
Voltaire
Good questions can change your life, bad answers can ruin it. Many people are running around trying to think of the answers to various questions, when they find the answers they are quickly forgotten. A great question can last a lifetime.
10 Questions to change your life:
1. Am I truly happy in the job I am doing?
We spend nearly a quarter of our lives working. If we are not happy in that job it means we are unhappy for nearly a quarter of our lives. Most of us have to work and most of us are not doing a job we love, however it's difficult to do a job we love and put money on the table. There is ALWAYS something we can do about our job, you're never too old to change careers, you might need training for a career change but 1 -3 years of your life studying for a new career is better than another 20 years being miserable in your job.
2. Am I truly happy in my relationship?
A truly important question to ask yourself. If you are unhappy and you have tried to make things work and it hasn't, get out of the relationship. Do you really want to stay and be unhappy or go and try to make it on your own? If you have kids, it's a lot more difficult but it needn't be. Kids know when there is no love in a house between parents and may not be as unhappy as you think about a split up.
3. How can I save £5 every single day for 30 years?
Saving up £5 per day for 30 years and putting it in a safe bank account will net you over £150,000 in 30 years time. If you put in a tracker fund that follows the main market, historically, it will net you over £330,000.
4. How can I have a better relationship with my kids?
Another hugely important question to ask yourself. If you don't have children then think about your relationships with your nieces and nephews. If you don't have nieces and nephews then stop reading this section.
Our relationships with the children in our lives are more important than you might think. They are copying you in nearly everything you are doing so it is important to be mindful of your words, actions and behaviour.
We only have our formative children for about 14 years, after that time they generally spend more time with their peers. Your time with your children is precious, try to make the most of it.
5. What makes me happy?
The answer to this question will truly change your life. Many people don't even ask this question.
If you ask yourself this question every day and you can work on the answers and implement a plan of action then your life will change forever.
6. How can I make my relationships better?
Working on your relationships and thinking about how to improve them is another great way to work on yourself and help others.
Your most obvious relationship is your partner, ask yourself "˜what could I do today to tell them I love them?' it doesn't have to be a huge thing; even a little note can make a big difference.
Work on all your other relationships this way starting with your family and going down to your work colleagues. Just thinking about improving your relationships and doing 1 thing every day can make an enormous difference.
7. How can I make more money?
There are literally millions of ways to make more money nowadays. If you can make an extra £1 per day and save it for 30 years you will have over £24,000 if you put it in a 5% yielding bank account. Stick that £1 per day in the market and in 30 years time you have £67,000.
When we try to make money we think in big numbers. We think, as I did, if I could get £70,000 and pay off my mortgage that would be great. In our minds the figures we think of are just too big. I we ask ourselves "˜How can I make an extra £1 per day' that make it a lot easier. Now the beauty of it is, if you can make an extra £1 you can then go on to make an extra £2 and then and extra £10 per day and so on. Try not to think about the big numbers, think about the small numbers, which go a long way to make the big numbers.
Money is a source of stress for many people and figuring out how we can make more and live comfortably can make us happier.
8. What can I do to make a difference to someone else?
Not as altruistic as it sounds, but if your hearts in the right place then it doesn't matter. The fact that you are helping someone will make a difference. Helping other people achieve their goals or simply helping someone with their shopping can make a difference. Giving feels much better than receiving and gives our spirits a lift.
This is another question to ask yourself every day. Do one thing a day for another person and spiritually you will be lifted, don't worry if you're not comfortable with the word spiritual, it will make you feel good.
9. What can I do to make me more healthy?
Most of us know the answer to this question already; it's just that we rarely ask ourselves this question for fear of what the answer involves and the action that needs to be taken.
10 minutes of exercise per day could change your life if you are willing. Watching how much rubbish you are eating could change your life. You don't need to go to the gym to exercise, see the article Top 5 gym free exercises
You don't need me to give you advice on your health, you know what you have to do: are you brave enough to ask the question?
10. What is the worst that can happen?
A fantastic question, which can help you out in times of stress. I have been in lots of seemingly stressful situations and asked myself this question. When I am stressed about not seeing as many clients as I think I should have I ask "˜What's the worst that can happen?' and usually the answer is I will see them tomorrow, no big deal. Stress is caused by the undue pressure we put on ourselves.
Most situational stress can be alleviated by asking ourselves this one question, as the answer is not usually as bad as you might think.