45 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself In Order To Live Your Best Life

girl getting to know herself
Freddy Marschall

1. Why do I consume the media I consume? (movies, music, news, pop culture tabloids, etc.)

2. Do I like what I like because I naturally and genuinely like it, or because I was socially conditioned to like it? If the answer is the latter – who taught me this? What was their goal or agenda?

3. Why do I love what I love? Explain and justify this to yourself, whether it is an object or person.

4. What are the trivial things other that people annoy me? (e.g. People jumping on trends, fake fans of a band, girls that wear too much makeup)

5. Why do I hate what I hate? Who taught me to hate the things or people I hate?

6. What 5 negative adjectives would I label myself with?

7. What 5 positive adjectives would I label myself with?

8. Do I believe these adjectives are core components of my personality?

9. Do I follow trends? Why or why not?

10. What do I think about people who follow trends and people who don’t follow trends?

11. Do I see myself the way others see me? Am I worried over the wrong perceptions other people may have of me?

12. If yes, why is their opinion or approval important to me? Is there anything I can do to counter or alleviate this way of thinking?

13. What is the earliest memory I have of my biggest fear?

14. If I trace back each word, who would it lead to? Did I get this trait from my mother, father, a friend, a life-altering situation, etc.? If it leads back to another person, how come THEY turned out the way they did? Do their past choices give me any insight into my current state?

15. What do I believe in in terms of faith and/or religion? (In God, Jesus, Allah, astrology, nobody, etc.)

16. Surely I was not born with my beliefs, so how come I believe in this?

17. What do my political affiliations and stances say about me as an individual?

18. What do the opposing side’s/person’s political stances say about them?

19. Why did I choose those descriptions to describe me and to describe them in the previous 2 questions?

20. Have I ever projected my own feelings or insecurities towards others? (e.g. having a strong sense of dislike for a person I know, even though they’ve done nothing bad to me / I can’t put my finger on why I find this person so annoying or dislikable)

21. If I think of all the people I’ve had emotional conflicts with (e.g. maybe a parent, or a bully, or a tormentor), what do I have in common with them? What separates me from them?

22. Is there a specific event in my life that altered me in a significant way? Am I able to list down at least three? How exactly did these events change or affect me?

23 What is most valuable to me, and why do I value it?

24. Is there anything in my life right now that I have been procrastinating and avoiding doing or thinking about?

25. If I dig deep and try to uncover painful or embarrassing memories I’ve purposely buried and forgotten, what would I remember? Why did I hide them in the first place? Why do I continue to repress them? Is it possible for me to stop repressing them and heal from them, or do I prefer to continue keeping them tucked away in my head?

26. Thinking back years ago to things that stressed me or upset me (such as a project or a conflict or a relationship), did it work it for me eventually? How did the end result, whether good or bad, impact my life at the present moment?

27. What motivated me to click this post and read it? Was it instinct, boredom, curiosity, narcissism, or something else?

28. Does the need to become a better/smarter/more attractive/more successful person make me feel like I am “not good enough”?

29. What is making me think I am not good enough? Is this innate, or does the idea come from the treatment I receive by those around me?

30. Do I often act rashly based on emotion and regret the action later?

31. If I think back on mean or cruel things I’ve done or said towards others (e.g. a friend, an enemy, a celebrity), whether it was as a half-joke or as a serious offense, what was the reason for my behavior? What was my intent in doing/saying what I did/said?

32. What is my first general reaction/thought whenever I am angry or hurt or frustrated?

33. When I am angry or in a bad mood, who do I usually take it out on?

34. What is my sense of humor like? What things or jokes do I find funny? (List 5 examples) Why do I find these 5 things funny?

35. How important is it for me to find a mate or romantic partner? Would I be just as happy being alone as being with someone else? Why or why not?

36. Thinking back on all the people I have fallen in love with or had a crush on or been attracted to, what physical and non-physical qualities do they have in common? What did they say they loved and hated about me?

37. Was there ever a moment where I felt I was being held back from being my true self? What or who made me feel this way? How did it turn out now?

38. What can I do to attain that feeling of “being true to one’s self”?

39. Do I have people in my life who have repeatedly intentionally hurt me or let me down? Why are they still a part of my life? What would happen if I let them go or cut them off? What do I gain by keeping them around?

40. What is the biggest crime I committed towards myself? Have I done anything to make up for it?

41. What is the biggest crime I committed towards someone else? Have I done anything to make up for it?

42. Am I acting against my own definition of integrity and a good person?

43. Do I ignore my own health/well-being although I know something is unhealthy/bad for me? If yes, in what ways?

44. If people loved me the way I loved myself, would they be happy?

45. If blue-collar workers (e.g. janitors, bus drivers, waiters, cashiers, road-workers, nannies, etc.) and the low class of society (e.g. homeless, addicts, prostitutes, etc.) treated me the way I treated them, how would I feel? Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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