Questions You Should be Asking Yourself Daily
BY ERICA MULLER
We all have goals and desires, and there are many times we set the goals + decide we want all the things, but we forget that the littlest things make all the big things come together.
I’ve learned asking yourself questions is the best way to actually achieve the goals you’ve set. Questions allow us to get to know ourselves better, feel more confident in our abilities, have a clear direction in where we want to go + hold us accountable to the areas we could make improvements. Once I started asking myself questions daily and being incredibly honest with the answers, things truly started falling in place for me.
Here are 5 questions you should be asking yourself every day to see consistent growth in all areas of your life.
1. WHY?
Ask yourself why you do the things you do and why you want the things you want. And I’m not talking surface level. I’m talking about asking yourself why and then why again and again and again. Going so deep on a topic that you become so rooted in what you want, you know precisely the purpose of everything in your life. This isn’t to find some existential meaning in life. Instead, it provides you with answers that guide you to the how, when, where, who + what. If you can find your why, the puzzle pieces will come together. If you want a deeper explanation of this one, THIS 4-minute mini-episode of my podcast, Irrepressible, lays it all out there.
2. WHERE AM I SPENDING MY TIME?
Do you ever get to the end of the day feeling like you could have accomplished more? We so often end up in routines we don’t even think about, wasting time unintentionally. Think about how often you absentmindedly reach for your phone to check Instagram…all day long, right? Taking inventory over your days, where your time is being spent (and being honest with yourself about it) will give you clues where you can make up that time. Then, get creative with how you can fill that time. Maybe you’ve been wanting to listen to a podcast, read a book, research a topic you’re interested in, or start gardening. Once we can identify the problem, we can prioritize what is essential to us vs. what we’ve been doing on autopilot.
3. WHAT WOULD MAKE TODAY GREAT?
There is so much power in intention setting. We tend to get busy and do things without really thinking about them. But what if we set intentions behind them? I set an intention before I started writing this blog post with exactly what I wanted to convey, that it would flow with ease, that it would help anyone who read it. Setting intentions puts you in the energy of what you want – and more often than not, getting clear and specific on intentions creates precisely what you had hoped for in the first place. Intend your meeting runs smoothly and efficiently, intend you get a parking space close to your destination, intend someone compliments your new dress. You can set an intention for anything, and it truly only takes a second, but it can make a massive difference in the way your day unfolds.
4. WHAT CAN I LEARN TODAY?
Personally, I’m someone who is constantly seeking new info. I love expanding my brain to new ideas that I’ve never thought of before. Sneaking in a podcast episode while I’m in the car running errands, cooking dinner, or going for a quick walk leaves me feeling like I took advantage of the time I have. Time is our most valuable resource – use it to your benefit! Instead of binge-watching two shows tonight, maybe watch one and read a book in place of the other, or turn on a documentary you’ve wanted to watch. Could you spend time talking to a parent, a grandparent, your boss, or an interesting client? Ask them questions about their life, how they’ve accomplished certain things, what experiences were like for them, how they asked your grandmother to marry them, etc. There are opportunities all day long to add value to your day. Take advantage of it.
5. WHAT DO I NEED FOR ME TODAY?
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Prioritizing your needs, desires + boundaries is not selfish; it’s actually selfless. Hear me out. If you are running around wanting to please everyone (and trust me, I’m a recovering people-pleaser) to the point where you are burnt out, angry, exhausted, miserable + bitter… do you think the ‘help’ you’re giving is helpful at this point? Hint: it’s absolutely not. To show up for anyone else as your best self, doing your best work, you MUST first show up for yourself. Maybe today it’s enjoying coffee outside uninterrupted or tomorrow it’s putting your phone on Do Not Disturb all day and getting back to text messages when you’re in a better headspace. Maybe the next day, it’s saying ‘no’ to something so you can say ‘yes’ to things you truly want to spend your time and energy on. Your relationship with yourself will always be the longest one you have – make sure you’re respecting it.
Create a dialogue with yourself. Start tuning in consistently and you will see changes in your internal + external worlds.
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