Take your time in engaging with the questions, and try not to engage that little critical voice in your head.
Before you dive into these questions, find a place of silence in yourself – this can be by going down to the beach and breathing the sea air, connecting to nature in some way, or finding a quiet place to sit and take a couple of deep breaths.
It is important to use pen and paper for these questions – writing increases the connection between your memory, your brain and your thoughts.
Now, take a look at these questions. Let them sit for a minute in your brain and heart, and answer with as little pre-thought as possible. Let the words flow freely.
Choose 10 of any of the following questions to answer. Try and find a mix of those that annoy/scare/feel uncomfortable to those that you feel comfortable answering.
- What is truly important to me in life?
- What makes you you?
- Why are we here?
- What is the meaning or purpose of life?
- What is the relationship between the individual and others?
- Where do family, country, and the rest of the world fit in?
- What is good and what is evil?
- Is there a higher power god or something transcendental and if so what impact does it have on your life?
- What is the role of joy, sorrow, justice, injustice, love, peace, and strife in life?
- What skills have helped you survive?
- What makes you feel strong?
- What exasperates you about others?
- What made you different, even an oddball, as a child?
- What compliments do you shrug off?
- What are your hard-won skills?
- What values must you have in your life to feel fulfilled?
- What types of values keep showing up in your life?
- What are the values that are core to the way you do your job, maintain your relationships, parent your children, and/or lead others?
- What values challenge or stretch you the most?
- When do you feel the most alive or satisfied
- What’s most important in your life? Beyond your basic human needs, what must you have in your life to experience fulfillment?
Reflect on your answers, and see if you can find any common threads.
Discuss with your partner what you discovered