FIFTY QUESTIONS TO FIND YOUR PASSION AND PURPOSE

 Dear readers and friends,                                                               Articolo originale

Today I present to you another Life Coaching article where we will discover how to find the passion and purpose of your life with an exercise that includes, as usual, many questions. As in every Life Coaching context we are examining, there are only small explanations and many questions. Finding these answers is our task, discovering ourselves to then improve ourselves and loving ourselves for who we are is the ultimate goal. As has already been said in several articles: 

“A question at the right time can change your life or at least the vision you have of it.”

 

Do you ever have moments in your life where you feel like “something is missing” or that you aren't fully passionate about the things you invest your time in? Maybe you feel like you want to make an impact in the world that's much bigger than what you currently have, but you don't know where to start.

 

Many people make their way through life feeling desperate for deeper purpose and connection, but aren't sure how to get it. If any of these statements resonate with you, rest assured you are not alone!

It has been said that the two most important days we have in life are the day we are born and the day we find out why we were born. While some people will disagree with this statement (for various religious reasons), most people will agree that when we are unsure of what our purpose in life is, it can become increasingly difficult to move forward.

Most people try to think "in" and "out" of the challenges life throws at them. Albert Einstein was very precise when he postulated that "the significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them". In other words, we can't think about our passion or our life purpose - we need a different approach. You can't think about how to establish your life purpose: you can only make sense of what you already have inside. The more actions we take, the more transparent our life purpose and passions become to us. 

Most people dedicate the best hours of their lives to making money, getting more things, and filling their lives with more trivial materialistic possessions - and if you're still reading, there's a good chance you've already discovered how empty and unsatisfying the money and material goods are.

Money comes and money goes. Goods come and goods go. Fashions change, trends change, the climate changes, as do our priorities; but the things that always remain a constant are the basic needs of human beings. Your heart is the best compass (or GPS) to access your true purpose and passion in life.

Being inspired by what you do, motivated to make a difference in others, connected to other people in a meaningful way, fulfilled, happy are all far greater rewards than financial or materialistic ones. By doing what you love in life, you will begin to realize how much more energy and passion you have to invest in the things you do. You will also begin to recognize how much value other people find in you and how much they too benefit from receiving some of your time.

Time is the most precious commodity any of us have, so be sure to treat the time you have with caution, because once our time is spent, it's spent! You can spend your time earning more money, but you can't spend your money earning more time. 

To find your passion in life you must first familiarize yourself with yourself. You need to know what motivates you, what you're naturally good at, what you really like, what inspires you, what excites you, what scares you, what you pretend to like, and what lies you tell yourself about your abilities, natural talents, abilities, and gifts. As you become more familiar with yourself, you will be able to determine what is most important in the limited time you have in a day, a week, a month, a year, and throughout your life. This way you can maximize your time doing more of what you love and less of what you don't.

“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give it all your heart and soul” – Gautama Buddha

Most of us are so busy reacting to events in our lives that we don't take the time to examine what isn't working too well for us. If you have a genuine desire to find your passion and purpose in life, it's important to invest time in asking yourself the following 50 questions and answering them as honestly as possible.

Answer the following fifty questions to begin to gain clarity on the steps you need to take today towards a lifestyle and career that you are completely passionate about.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be helpful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to make a difference and that you have lived and lived well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Instructions for the 50 questions:

1. Take some loose sheets of paper and a pen.

2. Find a place where you won't be interrupted. Turn off your cell phone.

3. Write the first thing that comes to mind. Write without editing. Use the dot form (it is important to write down your answers rather than just thinking about them).

4. Give yourself less than 60 seconds for a question. Preferably less than 30 seconds. Writing without editing is important and remember, be honest: no one else needs to read what you write!

Q 1. What areas of your life are currently working well for you - What do you find fulfilling, meaningful, enjoyable and valuable?

Q 2. What current areas of your life aren't working too well for you - what stresses you out, makes you anxious or drains your energy?

Q 3. If you were financially secure (or financially free) and no longer needed a salary, how would you invest your time?

“I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says: “shit, he's awake!” -Steve Maraboli

Q 4a. What childhood interests or dreams did you have that you never got around to doing anything about?

Q 4b. Would pursuing any of these interests today bring more meaning to your life? If so, how?

Q 5a. After your death, how would you like to be remembered by others?

Q 5b. If you were to die today, would other people remember you the way you would like to be remembered in Q5a?

Q 6. Name three people (you know or don't know) who inspire you. Explain why they inspire you?

Q 7. What skills, talents or abilities do you have that you are naturally good at and passionate about using?

Q 8. What skills, talents or abilities do you have that you are NOT excited to use?

Q 9. What good causes, projects or charities do you firmly believe in (or are connected to)? Could you start a charity?

Q 10. What specific tasks, jobs or activities have you done in the past that you dislike and would never want to do again?

Q 11. In an average week, how many hours do you spend on tasks, jobs or activities that you don't enjoy or that waste your time?

Q 12. What are your most important values? What values ​​give your life the greatest meaning? (e.g. honesty, progress, faith, generosity, authenticity, connection, peace, security, friendship, tranquility, serving others, personal growth, dedication to a social cause)

Q 13. How does the way you live your life reflect your most important values?

Q 14. How do you reflect these values ​​throughout your work life, career or educational pursuits?

Q 15. In what areas of your life might your decisions contradict your most important core values?

Q 16. Which of your most important core values ​​do you not give enough time or attention to?

Q 17. What lies do you tell other people about what is important to you and what you are passionate about? (How are your actions out of line with your words?)

Q18. What's stopping you from fully committing to pursuing your top passions in life?

Q 19. What beliefs do you have about your ability (or inability) to succeed in pursuing your primary passion in life?

Q 20. What beliefs (or fears) have held you back from pursuing your primary passion in life so far?

Q 21. What evidence do you have that these fears or beliefs are accurate? (If there is evidence. Is the associated risk high enough to keep you from committing to pursuing your passions?)

Q 22. How much risk and uncertainty are you willing to accept in seeking and finding your passion?

Q 23. What comes before finding your primary passion in life (e.g. your income, job, lifestyle, home, fear of what others will think)?

Q 24a. What is the main concern you have about fully committing to pursuing your main passion in life?

D 24b. Would the potential benefits outweigh the importance of this primary concern you have?

Q 25. What actions could you take to reduce or manage this concern?

Q 26. Besides yourself, who else is holding you back from pursuing your passion in life and how is it holding you back?

Q 27. How can you turn to this person/people to get their support or get them out of the way?

Q 28. What would you do with your life if you no longer cared what others thought of you?

Q 29. What would you do with your life if you no longer wanted to make a name for yourself or maintain a reputation with others?

Q 30. What hobbies/interests do you have that intrigue you and that you might consider pursuing as a life passion?

Q 31. Are you willing to take the time to master these interests so you can become an expert or teach others?

Q 32a. What valuable lessons have you learned throughout your life so far that other people could benefit from learning too?

Q 32b. What valuable lessons have you learned throughout your life so far that you can start teaching other people today?

Q 33a. Do you have enough savings to live on for six months during a career transition or while you commit to pursuing your passion?

D 33b. How could you save enough money to live on for six months during a career transition or while pursuing your passion?

Q 34. Rather than working harder to get more money, is there a way to make money work harder for you?

Q 35. Are there any cuts you can make as you strive to pursue your passion and purpose?

Q 36. What would be the worst potential outcome if you decided to fully commit to pursuing your passion? Would this be okay? Question 37. How likely is this worst outcome “to happen if you fully commit to your passion and invest all the energy and focus you have into it?”

Q 38. How rewarding would your life be if you did something you loved every day and earned money from it?

Q 39. What unique talents or abilities do you possess that you have not fully developed or expressed? What changes do you need to make (or what risks do you need to take) to develop and express your unique talents and abilities?

Q 40. In what ways could you start expressing yourself in more creative ways? How could you start being more creative today?

Q 41. What steps or risks are you willing to take to start being more creative?

Q 42. Is there a group of people somewhere in the world that you know could benefit from your help? Who are they and where are they?

Q 43. If you no longer needed to earn a salary, what would you spend the rest of your life doing?

Q 44. How does living a less than passionate life affect you mentally, emotionally, and relationally? Provide specific examples.

Q 45. What achievements could you achieve in life that would inspire other people to stop being so lazy, greedy or selfish?

Q 46. How much more would other people benefit from your life if you spent the rest of your life just being who you are (and not trying to be someone you're not)?

Q 47. If you had the chance to start your life over, what would you do differently next time?

Q 48. If you could convey a message to a large group of people, who would those people be and what would your message be?

Q 49. If you only had one year left to live, what would you spend this year doing and what difference would you like to make?

Q 50. Given your talents, passions and core personal values, how might you use these resources to serve, help or contribute to society (e.g. to other people, animals, good causes, organizations, your community, the planet, etc. )? Your practical next steps…

What are the first steps you can take today to pursue your passions and live a life that feels more meaningful, purpose-driven, and fulfilling?

Well, at the end of all these questions I hope you have a clearer sense of purpose and passion in your life. I hope that the article was useful and that you will leave your mark in the comments.