5 Questions That Will Change Your Life

Tim Browning, Professional Life Coach and sometime contributor to Pick The Brain has penned a lengthy and highly recommended screed on the 5 questions he believes will change your life.

He writes:

If I could offer you free of charge 5 questions guaranteed to improve the quality of your life, make you happier, less likely to get into arguments, more likely to reach your goals and be more popular with other people, would you be interested in hearing them?

Of course you would, who wouldn't? After all, they're free and it doesn't get much cheaper than that.

Well actually there is a slight catch. Yes they're free and yes they'll do all I claim and more, but only if you commit to embedding them so deeply into your neurology by constant and conscious repetition that they become second nature.

Then and only then, will they allow you to make the kind of quantum shift in your life that has your friends thinking your body has been invaded by a very clever, charismatic and slightly easier to get along with space alien.

The questions:

1. "What Else Can This Mean?"

2. "Who Can Help Me?"

3. "What Am I Grateful For?"

4. "What's My End Game?"

5. "What Can I Learn From This?"

Read his explanation for each here and then tell us your thoughts below. What do you think about his questions? Which 5 questions would you suggest?

Comments

[davidwayneosedach]

Where will I be one year from today?

[fredamae]

The following was presented to me from "Anonymous" Many years ago:

"A Souls Purpose In Life

1. You will receive a body.
2. You will learn Lessons
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons
4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
5. Learning lessons does not end.
6. There is no better than Here.
7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
8. What you make of your life is up to you.
9. Your answers lie inside you.
10. You will forget all this."

[tchristin]

Am I better off today than I was 4 years ago? 8 years ago?
When I lose my my health (everyone does eventually), will I be able to get health care?
Will we solve global warming before it solves us?
Will my children and grandchildren have the same opportunities I had?
Will we be at war in Iraq in 100 years?

[Friendofthecause]

Interesting and provocative questions. Years ago I was given a Zen koan or trick question by a friend and teacher who said that achieving the correct response to the koan could lead to enlightenment. The Koan/question was, Who is the teacher?

This was a good question to explore, and over the years I came up with a few answers, which in the end turned out not to be true. For many years it was, I am the teacher. I think now that it may be, life is the teacher. But of course you have to know this to be true yourself.

And of course I am in agreement with the person who said, the truly life-changing question is, who can I help? And further, how can I best help others?

I believe the answer to the latter has inspired people to go into meditation retreats for great lengths of time and some even to drop out of political races.

[MadOzbo]

This means what, exactly?
What qualifies you to make such a judgement?
So what is the point you are trying to make?
What do you get out of this?
And we're supposed to care, why???

[dbrownofdc]

1. What is there?

2. What am I?

3. Will I survive my death?

4. What is existence (is it relative????)?

5. Why am I here?

[All in All]

Professional Life Coach-Personal Consultant, I didn't even know that this was/is a actual Career Field.

I wonder....

The People whom actually listened to My advice have done well for themselves, This isn't a knock on the People who actually have a Higher Education then Myself.

More to the point of this Article; I've answered all of those five questions time & time again, and the conclusion that I'm starting to (not want to believe) believe is that when a Person chooses too answer these questions & ones like them, it would do that Person a great service if they only answer these questions with practical thoughts in-mind, don't answer them while thinking of things that seem to far out of reach for ones current Life & situations in-mind, unless Your willing to sacrifice all other parts of Your Life in the belief of what You believe & want. Which may leave oneself over-reaching & either never achieving or achieving in the later parts of ones Life.
.

[sharonh]

Here are my 5 questions that could change your life.
1. Did you say you weren't on birth control?
2. What do you mean the company is downsizing?
3. Could I have just one more drink before I drive home?
4. What do you mean you've met someone else?
5. How about we have another little baby?

[RJII]

I seem to be asking myself #2 and 3 a lot lately. LOL.

I have a 6th question...When do I know its time to open the front door and walk away or run?

[whatsthatsound]

1. Why do so many of these self help articles have lists and steps in the title? Is it a numerology thing?
2. If "The Secret" really worked, why don't babies just get up from their high chairs and fly around the room?
3. If there is reincarnation, where did all the extra people come from while the population doubled in the last half century? Did they know what they were getting themselves into, or did they just have a bad travel agent?

And so on.

[longtimewatcher]

1. Because we are simple. Ever wonder why there are usually no more than 10?

2. He claims to be able to improve the quality of your life, not give you super powers.

3. New souls are being created all the time, or so those reporting back say. (Keep in mind, these are not "old souls.")

[whatsthatsound]

I think you're taking me entirely too seriously, longtimer, but thanks for the help!

[thebluecrayon]

LMAO! That is too, too funny.

[TomInJax]

1. 42
2. 42
3. 42

Long live Douglas Adams.

[xs10shl1]

Thanks, TomInJax, for this response. Puzzled, I googled D.N.A. and found a whole world of genius and brilliance. Thanks for this reference. His child is around 14 now and must be a genius, so his brilliance will be carried on, hopefully. Wow. Hey, Thx.

[MyPalSal]

Why do we spend holidays doing mean relatives' bidding?
Should I be more afraid of the meat or the mayonnaise?
Will fashion cycles speed up to the point that nothing or everything is fashionable?
If there is a God, how did he let this happen?
How can I possibly know what my end game is?

[Heidfeld]

Asside from the 5 simple questions themselves, Tim you got something completely wrong. It is a common mistake though, so don't worry too much. Allow me to explain.

You use a classic analogy/argument regarding the soccer players and the referee. I have heard this before, many times and in many contexts. Needless to say, this reasoning is only used by people who really don't understand soccer and what is going on. Again, allow me to explain.

I am not just a fan of soccer, but also a player of the game. Although, an astute fan (perhaps one that asks "What else can this mean?") could understand this as well.

You see, the players argue with the referee for a reason, and it does, in fact, accomplish something. Without getting into too much detail, this resistance offered by the players does have an effect on future decisions made by the referee. Either consciously or sub-consciously, his next decision will take into account the previous protest of the players.

And no, the argument that it only makes the ref mad at you and more likely to rule against you is not logical.

Anyway, I just thought I should point that out to you. I agree that most people don't bother to ask what the end game is (I see it at work on a daily basis), but perhaps you can use a better example to illustrate your point.

[Buddy McCue]

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

If a parsley farmer is sued, do they garnish his wages?

When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs?

Why isn't there mouse flavored cat food?

What is the speed of dark?

[Technoshaman]

That is TOO funny... I'm LMFAO in my cubicle right now....

[dbrownofdc]

this is awesome!!! LLS!!!

[daemos1]

Sounds like mor pop psychology and common sense dressed up as qualified advice.

[JBCinSD]

But common sense is SO uncommon.

[Anicebarbie]

1. Was I completely honest
1. Did I take this too personally
3. Did I make too many assumptions
4. Did I try my very best
5. Did I delegate properly

[welborn]

These are great.

Your second #1 is especially important in life, I've found. Maybe that's wht it's also #1? :)

Although, I'd make it "If I took this too personally, why?"

"Did I try..." could be made better by saying "What could I do better next time?"

[Anicebarbie]

Welborn
Love your screen name.

You are right....I take some comments and actions more personally than others and "why" is a good question I need to ask myself.

For example: I became a raging maniac if I felt my children were treated unfairly and took it so personally. That was certainly an achilles heel for me.

You could call me a liberal commie and I actually enjoyed it. I suppose I had a secure comfort level about my politics and felt out of control when others behaviors affected my kiddies.

Great point.

[ohnoyoudidnot!]

Should the 2nd question be who can I help?, instead of who can help me?