Knowing yourself is one of the first steps to living an authentic life. If you’re feeling disconnected or are just curious to get to know yourself better, it may be time for some self-discovery. Finding more security in your identity is a long – sometimes lifelong – process, but it is definitely worth it.
When you actually connect with yourself, you can see:
what you’re feeling and why,
why you react to things a certain way,
what you want to do with your life,
who you want to surround yourself with,
which experiences you want on your bucket list,
and so much more.
When I was stuck in life a few of years ago, I couldn’t even pinpoint what I didn’t like about what I was doing.
I kept looking for answers on the outside instead of devoting time to self-reflection; I was looking at what other “successful” people were doing and trying to replicate their moves instead of exploring what I actually wanted to do.
I learned that lesson the hard way because it took me years to actually know what was happening inside of me.
In this post, you’ll find 60 questions to get to know yourself to connect with your feelings, know yourself and paint a more or less complete picture of who you are today. “More or less complete” because you’re not static. You are constantly changing. You are constantly learning and unlearning things daily.
There may be a part two to this blog but this is the perfect set of questions to get you started. Grab a notebook and a pen, choose one or more of the categories below.
Let’s start with ten questions that are related to your daily habits:
What are you grateful to have in your daily life?
List the top things you think about the most. How do those thoughts make you feel? Out of those thoughts, which are worth thinking about?
List the top activities you do the most. How do those activities make you feel? Out of those things, which are worth your time?
What could you do to improve your daily routine?
Pay attention to your thoughts today. Is there a recurring thought you’d like to get rid of?
What have you been postponing lately? Why are you avoiding it?
What’s the thing you crave the most? How do you think that thing is going to make your life better?
List all the ways in which you could make your days better.
List all the bad habits you’d like to get rid of. Why are they bad, in your opinion?
How do you usually feel every day?
Now let us shift into a different direction. If you feel stuck in life, these questions may help you see which aspects of your mindset may be standing between you and your progress.
How do you measure success? What does success mean to you?
Do you believe one day you’ll be successful the way you want?
Make a list of all the traits successful people have in common.
How does making a mistake at work make you feel/think about yourself?
Do you believe in your ability to make your dreams happen?
Would you say you allow yourself to make mistakes?
Do you take responsibility for your mistakes, or do you tend to blame others?
What does “making progress” mean to you? How much progress is good progress?
Do you tend to make excuses? How can you work around them?
Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Why?
Now let’s dive into your dreams, your path and wants in life:
In your opinion, what does it mean to live a “purposeful” life?
What change do you want to make in the world?
How would your perfect day be from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed?
Do you feel like you deserve to have what you want? Do you feel worthy of your dreams and goals?
If you keep doing what you’re doing now, where will you be in one year? How does that thought make you feel?
What’s the ideal amount of money you’d like to have in your bank account?
Which objects, styles, smells, and feelings best describe your ideal life? What does that say about what you want? For example, you may be drawn to minimalist homes in the mountains or a penthouse in the middle of the city.
What’s preventing you from taking action? I’d love to [blank], but I haven’t because [blank].
What are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want in life?
What can you do today to start building your dream life?
Let us dive into some of the experiences that shaped you with these questions about your past. Be gentle with yourself.
If you could go back in time, what would you change? How would that affect you today?
Is there something you no longer do that you’d like to do again?
Which memory, person, or feeling do you need to let go of?
Why do you think you haven’t let that go yet? Why would it be beneficial to get over it?
Which piece of advice would you give your younger self? Where does that advice come from?
What mistake or rough time taught you something you’re grateful for today?
Think about a mistake you made. How did you react? What did you tell yourself? What does that say about you?
Describe a traumatic or sad past event, and list everything you learned about it.
If you could meet with a version of your past self that was going through a rough patch, what would you tell her or him?
If your past self could get a glimpse into the future and see where you are today and what you’re doing, what would she or he say?
For these next 10 questions – be honest about your feelings and emotions.
How often do you ignore your own feelings and/or what your gut’s trying to tell you?
What makes you feel discouraged?
What’s the longest you’ve been mad at someone? Would you say you tend to hold grudges for too long?
How do you feel when you’re in new environments with new people?
How do you feel about what you do for a living?
What’s something you think you’ll never do? Why?
Are you assertive, passive, or aggressive when you’re angry?
Is there something you often feel that you no longer want to feel?
How do you act when you’re under pressure?
How do you behave when you’re dealing with difficult emotions? Do you usually let them bottle up? Or are you good at handling them in a healthy way?
Now let’s dive into your future self with the next 10 questions. They can help you uncover more of what you want and see your life from a different perspective.
What can you start doing today to make your future self happier and more fulfilled?
Make a list of all the things you want to be doing in 12 months. You can also include things you want to have and ways in which you’d like to feel a year from now.
How do you picture your life 20 years from now? How do you feel about that?
Are you doing challenging things today that will make your life better in the future? List them.
Where does your future self live?
What do you want to feel proud of in 1 to 3 years?
What are you doing in the next 6-12 months to become the person you want to be?
What do you think your future self deserves?
What do you regret not doing? How can you do something about it?
Describe how you want your life to be when you retire.
Why Is It Important to Know Yourself
Self-discovery has many benefits, but here are the top reasons why knowing yourself better is important.
It helps you:
get rid of bad habits that may take you down the wrong path.
live more intentionally because you know what you want and what you don’t
love and celebrate yourself
make peace with your past.
In Part 2, we will ask questions relating to self growth, self-confidence, our relationships, personality,
You’ll see that one question will lead you to more than one answer if you keep writing and being honest. Be gentle with yourself and don’t overwhelm yourself with so many questions at once.
