I was recently asked to respond to a series of questions that were, in no uncertain terms, *invasive and intrusive upon my private life. There was (apparently) a valid reason for the questions and some I'd expected - and feel were valid and necessary - however I felt some were quite unnecessary and had crossed a line to some degree. Ultimately, I had little choice but to acquiesce although that didn't negate my feelings of annoyance.
It wasn't that the questions were difficult to answer, they were all about me after all, or that I felt the need or had the inclination to conceal or evade the truth in answer, I simply failed to see the relevance to the organisation in asking the questions and how they could possibly make any difference to the ongoing decision-situation. Nonetheless, they received the answers, open, forthright and honest and we all moved forward.
In reflection later, I thought about people as individuals and the questions we ask or, more importantly, do not ask of ourselves. And furthermore, the answers to those questions we find and accept, or not. I'm not sure what questions you might ask of yourself if any, but I'm constantly asking them of myself and I feel I deliver open and honest answers, even if it takes me a little time to do so on occasions.
Was I my best version as often as possible today - if I was not, when, why, how and what might I do to improve?
Have I taken the time to feel grateful for what I have in my life today?
Do I consistently evaluate myself, see my failures as opportunities and seek to find methods and motivation to mitigate them - if not then why not?
Am I wasting time and energy on unproductive or negative things and if so then why and what's the alternatives?
Have I taken ownership, had the correct thoughts and attitudes, shown responsibility and applied discipline?
Those are a few questions I've asked myself and, unfortunately, the answers have not always been to my liking, but they've been brutally honest.
I don't know why I was asked the questions I mentioned earlier but I know why I ask myself questions - with honesty - reflect and evaluate and determine better ways forward when the answers are forthcoming...I do it for self-improvement purposes, to continually lean forward into my life's development and progress. I can, hand-on-heart, honestly say that I have achieved measurable and increased success by asking questions of myself and finding candid answers. Sure, there's other elements involved, but I can't improve that which I'm not aware of so determining those things is the first step.
I believe it's the questions we do not ask of ourselves that can inhibit us the most.
Do you ever question yourself and if you do are those questions confronting?
I feel it's the difficult questions we ask of ourselves where the most benefit can be found. Do you seek honest answers from yourself? Why or why not? Have you had situations in which the answers you found helped you move forward into being a better version of yourself through an expanding paradigm, new directions, motivations, refreshed thought, energy or attitude? I know this has happened to me and I was able to turn what was a little confronting at first, the questions and answers, into a step - sometimes a leap - forward towards a better life.
Feel free to have a think about it and let me know in the comments below if you have any thoughts yoyu feel inclined to share, I'm interested and will respond.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Image(s) in this post are my own