50 Questions Which Will Free Your Mind: Part 7

As part of “My 101 Things to do in 1001 Days” Challenge, I added the task to answer “50 questions which will free your mind.” These questions really make me stop to think. I encourage you to answer these questions.

You may remember that I started answering these questions a several months ago. I am answering five questions a month. I answered the first five on June 10, 2016, and the next five questions on July 8, 2016. On August 5, 2016, I answered questions 11-15. On September 2, 2016, I answered 16-20. Last month, on October 7, 2016, I answered 21-25. On November 3, 2016, I answered questions 26-30.

Here are my answers to questions 31-35.

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 it 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?
    I had been planning to attend a BlogHer conference in since December 2015 and the conference, which was Aug 4-6, fueled my passion to blog, to write, and to work to make my blog work for me. That conference made me feel so alive and re-energized my passion for writing!
32. If not now, then when?
    You know, I’ve asked this question to myself several times regarding several different situations in my life. In a time when violence seems to have become an every day occurrence, the answer seems a little shrouded in fear, anger, and hate. Why can’t we all just get along? If not now, then when? When we’ve all turned against each other and can’t trust our neighbors?
    Then there are more superficial issues… like taking that much needed vacation, or asking that guy or girl out that you’ve wanted to go out with for a long time, or starting that healthy living lifestyle… if not now, then when?
    The “when” becomes “could of, should of, would of” and then we end up living with regrets.
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
    I have nothing to lose, but I’m striving day-after-day to achieve my dream. What is that dream? I want to be a freelance writer, with opportunities to travel from time to time. I haven’t achieved that status of “freelance” yet, but I’m working on it.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
    Yes. Sometimes more can be said with a look or a touch than with words.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
    I think nowadays, so many people claiming to be religious don’t really understand the concept of peace. It’s like they are brainwashed to believe that in order to have peace, we must have war. These so-called religious people claim to love their gods and their religion that they would die for it, but why not love their gods and their religion so much that they would live for it? Why not share their love of their gods and their religion with other instead of killing others as well as themselves in the name of their gods and their religion. It just seems so senseless to me. I think we would have far fewer wars if we would put down our weapons (whether they be guns, bombs, knives, or WMD) and open up a channel of communication and be willing to discuss our differences as well as our similarities. I think it’s ok to have a difference of opinions, but it’s not ok to kill someone because of their difference of opinion.
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?

Your Truly,
Vanessa