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Posted On 07.13.09

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

  1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
  2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
  3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
  4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
  5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
  6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
  7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
  8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
  9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
  10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
  11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do?
  12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
  13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
  14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
  15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
  16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
  17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?  What’s holding you back?
  18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
  19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
  20. Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
  21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
  22. Why are you, you?
  23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
  24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
  25. What are you most grateful for?
  26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
  27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
  28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
  29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now?
  30. What is your happiest childhood memory?  What makes it so special?
  31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
  32. If not now, then when?
  33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
  34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
  35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
  36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
  37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
  38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
  39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
  40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
  41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
  42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
  43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
  44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
  45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
  46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
  47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
  48. What do you love?  Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
  49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday?  What about the day before that?  Or the day before that?
  50. Decisions are being made right now.  The question is:  Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Photo by: Sanctuary

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Comments

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Frank Polenose
July 13, 2009 9:48 am

I like Number 2 the best - better to keep failing in my opinion... not that I do! :-)

July 13, 2009 9:57 am

No doubt, Frank. ;-)

Success comes from failure (learning).

July 13, 2009 10:49 am

It's interesting to think of answers to some of these questions. Good post!

July 13, 2009 10:56 am

OK, Marc, I have to ask this question - how did you come up with these 50 great questions? :)

If these questions have no right or wrong answers then it is necessary to re-frame the question to arrive at the answer. That is to say - the question and answer that applies and works for us.

Questions are an interesting topic in themselves. They can be so limited in scope that they form the box for the answer or so ambiguous that there are no boundaries exacted for the answer or something in between.

I love this question - "What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?" I can't imagine this scenario. Is there a way I could somehow verify this? :)

July 13, 2009 12:30 pm

fan of number 3!

July 13, 2009 2:01 pm

@Mark: I've been jotting down these ideas slowly over the last few months. And Angel and I have been reviewing them regularly just for fun.

;-)

People will always judge you, the question is: Should you care?

La Terra
July 13, 2009 3:49 pm

I'm a fan of #4- Talk is oh so cheap.

Michael Jahn
July 13, 2009 4:18 pm

So many good questions. I especially like 21: Sometimes I'd rather be a joyful simpleton but alas - I'm not :-| It would make life so much easier to be ignorant sometimes.

Good Post!!

July 13, 2009 5:31 pm

I <3 It Marc. Especially #40.

July 13, 2009 7:27 pm

@Marc - Thanks for the explanation of how all these ideas came to be on one post.

"People will always judge you, the question is: Should you care?" - Normally I don't care ... especially by strangers. However if I'm being judged by someone who really knows me and I respect their opinion then I do care to the extent I'm asking questions to myself and them.

Kelley
July 13, 2009 8:09 pm

Wow - very powerful!! I'm printing these off to put on my desk at work!! :)

Samsun
July 14, 2009 7:13 am

I really liked number 35. Religion is going to get extinguished in the future no matter what, but at this point we need it. The reason for that is the global differense between humans. When we advance and get more knowledge and understanding of the universe, everyone will see that there is no god. It was just something we made up because we were afraid and lazy to advance into the future.
- My opinion...

Benjamin Hübner
July 14, 2009 7:23 am

It´s hard to find a favorit out of these questions! Sometimes it can be more informativ to ask the right question than to get an answer!
I think my favorit would be no.7, but it´s very hard to dicide, the rest is great to!

Janice Russell
July 14, 2009 2:10 pm

Numbers 18, 26, 28, 43, 44, 45, & 50 are my favorites. As a professional organizer, I have found that many people have "mind clutter" that stands in the way of physical or time-related decluttering. Answering some of these questions might help them clear their minds and make way for greater strides in their organizing goals. Thanks!

hampers
July 20, 2009 11:26 pm

35.Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
This really strikes me because it's really sad to see religious people who promotes war in spite of their strong belief in their god. "sigh". This is reality.

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