DO YOU WANT TO FIND YOUR PASSION AND PURPOSE IN LIFE? ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

 Dear Readers and Friends,                                                                                                  Original Article in italian

As in every Life Coaching context that we are examining, there are only small explanations and many questions. Finding these answers is our task, discovering ourselves and then improving 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 your vision of it.” 

So let's continue the series of Life Coaching articles with the same pattern.

Last sad note: no one can fool themselves, they can believe they can, but if you don't accept yourself and be honest with yourself, nothing we are doing will work.  This is the safe place where you can show your True Self without receiving criticism or suggestions, only questions at the right time. 

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

Many people make their way through life feeling desperate for purpose and deeper connection, but aren’t sure how to get there. If any of these affirmations resonate with you, I assure you, you’re not alone!

It has been said that the two most important days in our lives 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 our purpose in life, it can become increasingly difficult to move forward.

Most people try to think “inside” and “outside” of the challenges that life throws at them. Albert Einstein was very accurate when he postulated that “the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.” In other words, we cannot think about our passion or purpose in life; we need a different approach.

You can’t think about how to establish your life purpose; you can only make sense of what’s already inside you. The more actions we take, the more transparent our life purpose and passions become to us. Most people spend the best hours of their lives making money, getting more stuff, and filling their lives with the most meaningless materialistic possessions—and if you’re still reading, there’s a good chance you’ve already discovered how empty and unfulfilling money and material possessions are.  Money comes and money goes. Possessions come and possessions go. Fashions change, trends change, the climate changes, and so do our priorities; but the things that always remain 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 with others in a meaningful way, fulfilled, contented 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 benefit from receiving a portion of your time. 

Time is the most precious commodity any of us have, so make sure you treat the time you have with caution, because once our time is spent, it’s spent! You can spend your time making more money, but you can’t spend your money making more time. To find your passion in life, you must first get to know yourself. You must know what motivates you, what you are naturally good at, what you truly enjoy, 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, skills, and gifts. As you begin to know the real you, 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 by doing more of what you love and less of what you don’t.

"The ultimate goal of your life is to find your purpose and give it your whole 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 so 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.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to make the difference between having lived and having lived well.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWER THE 50 QUESTIONS

1. Get 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 form of the dot (it is important to write 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!

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

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

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?

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

"I want to live my life so that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, 'Shit, he's awake!'" -Steve Maraboli

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, service to others, personal growth, dedication to a social cause.)

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

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

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

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

17. What lies do you tell other people about what is important to you and what you are passionate about? (How do your actions not align with your words?)

18. What stops you from fully committing to pursuing your main passions in life?

19. What beliefs do you have about your ability (or inability) to pursue your main passion in life?

20. What beliefs (or fears) have held you back from pursuing your main passion in life until now?

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

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

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

24a. What is the main concern you have regarding total commitment to pursuing your main passion in life?

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

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

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

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

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

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?

30. What hobbies/interests do you have that you are curious about and might consider pursuing as a life passion?

31. Are you willing to dedicate time to mastering these interests so you can become an expert or teach others?

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

32b. What valuable lessons have you learned throughout your life so far that you can begin to teach others today?

33a. Do you have enough savings to support yourself for six months during a career transition or while pursuing your passion?

33b. How could you save enough money to live on for six months while you transition into a new job or pursue your passion?

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

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

36. What would be the worst potential outcome if you decided to fully commit to pursuing your passion? Would that be okay?

37. What is the probability that this worst outcome "will happen if you fully commit to your passion and invest all the energy and focus you have into it?"

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, after so many questions and the resulting answers, I ask you to leave a comment or your experience on the exercise done.