10 Questions To Change Your Life

‍The Power Isn't in Answers—It's in Questions

Everywhere you look, people are searching for answers.

They're downloading new productivity apps, reading business strategy books, attending workshops, hiring coaches—all hunting for that silver bullet solution that will unlock their next level of success.

But what if the greatest advantage isn't found in new tactics, tools, or answers?

What if it's in asking better questions?

These 10 questions have changed my life. I keep them handy on my phone and often use them to write through challenges. They are simple, immediate mindset shifts that can have a dramatic impact on your life.

Questions are the steering wheel of your mind—they determine your direction, speed, and ultimate destination.

The right question at the right moment can:

• Expose blind spots you didn't know existed
• Challenge your most limiting assumptions
• Create immediate clarity where confusion exists
• Give you permission to do what you already know you should

Let's dive in.

10 Questions That Will Change Your Life

1. What Would I Do If I Weren't Afraid?

A common version of this question is "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" But I prefer this framing because it directly addresses the core issue: fear.

Fear is the invisible force that constrains most of our important decisions. It's not always obvious—sometimes it disguises itself as "being practical" or "thinking realistically." But beneath these seemingly rational considerations often lies fear of failure, rejection, judgment, or change.

The question creates a moment of clarity by temporarily removing fear from the equation.

The answers that emerge often point to the exact areas where growth is waiting for you: the business you haven't started, the relationship you haven't repaired, the skill you haven't developed, or the truth you haven't spoken.

How to use it: Find a quiet space without distractions, and ask yourself this question. Write down the first answers that come to mind without editing or judging them. Then look for themes or patterns in what you've written.

What it unlocks: Your genuine aspirations beneath layers of fear, practical next steps toward what you truly want, and awareness of how fear influences your decisions.

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2. What Am I Avoiding That I Know I Should Be Doing?

The breakthrough you're looking for is almost always hiding on the other side of what you're avoiding. 

That task you keep putting off? That's the one you need to do. The conversation you're dreading? That's the one you need to have.

This question spotlights what you’ve been avoiding. What makes it particularly powerful is the second part: "...that I know I should be doing." This acknowledges that you already have the awareness—you're just not acting on it.

Our avoidances typically cluster around:

• Difficult conversations we need to have
• Creative work we've been postponing
• Health habits we've been neglecting
• Financial realities we've been ignoring
• Decisions we've been delaying

The things we avoid are often the exact things that would create the most positive change in our lives. The discomfort of facing them is temporary, but the cost of continued avoidance compounds over time.

How to use it: Write down everything you're currently avoiding that you know you should be doing. Don't censor yourself. Then circle the thing that would create the most positive change if addressed. 

What it unlocks: Freedom from procrastination, momentum in areas that will create the greatest impact, and the confidence that comes from facing what you've been avoiding.

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3. What Would My Future Self Thank Me For Starting Today?

Another version of this is "tomorrow you'll wish you started today." We overestimate what we can accomplish in a week, and heavily underestimate what we can achieve in a year.

This question shifts your perspective from immediate gratification to long-term impact. It helps you prioritize actions that might be uncomfortable now but create tremendous value over time.

The things your future self would thank you for typically aren't the things that feel good in the moment. They're the things that feel good in retrospect—the habits formed, the skills developed, the investments made, the relationships nurtured.

These choices often involve some form of delayed gratification:

• The workout routine that's uncomfortable now but builds health over years
• The financial discipline that limits spending today but creates freedom tomorrow
• The creative practice that feels awkward initially but develops into mastery
• The relationship investments that take time but create lasting connections

How to use it: Imagine yourself five years in the future looking back on today. What would that version of you be deeply grateful you started? What would they wish you had begun sooner? Choose one of these areas and identify the smallest possible daily action you could take consistently.

What it unlocks: The ability to make decisions with a longer time horizon, freedom from the addiction of immediate gratification, and the compounding benefits of consistent small actions over time.

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4. Which Path Will Make For The Best Story?

When facing a difficult decision or fork in the road, this cuts through the noise and reveals what matters to you. It acknowledges that a well-lived life isn't about comfort—it's about meaning.

We often default to the safer path—the one with predictable outcomes and minimal discomfort. But this question reframes your thinking: your life is a narrative being written with each choice you make.

The most compelling stories involve risk, growth, and transformation. They rarely feature characters who always took the safest route.

This helps you zoom out from short-term comfort to long-term meaning. It recognizes that the most valuable experiences often come wrapped in challenge and uncertainty.

How to use it: The next time you face a meaningful choice, sit quietly and ask yourself which path would make for a better story when you look back five years from now. Notice your immediate gut reaction—it often reveals what you truly want beneath layers of fear and rationalization.

What it unlocks: Permission to choose growth over comfort, to prioritize meaningful experiences over security, and to view your life as an unfolding narrative worth making interesting.

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5. What Would I Advise A Friend To Do In This Situation?

We all give the best advice, and rarely take it ourselves. This is true in business, personal relationships, habits, and more. If we simply acted on our own advice, we'd be significantly better off.

This question creates psychological distance from your situation, allowing you to access your wisdom without the emotional entanglements that cloud judgment when we think about our own circumstances.

When you imagine advising a friend, several things happen:

• You see the situation more clearly
• You tap into your real wisdom
• You stop making excuses
• You focus on what truly matters

The gap between what we recommend to others and what we do ourselves reveals our blind spots.

How to use it: When facing a difficult decision or persistent problem, imagine your closest friend came to you with exactly the same situation. Write down the advice you'd give them, being as specific and honest as possible. Then read it back as advice to yourself.

What it unlocks: Objectivity when emotions are clouding judgment, clarity about what you already know is right, and awareness of where you're making excuses.

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6. What Would "Main Character Me" Do?

Your life is a movie… and you're the hero. 

Not an extra, not the person with two lines, not “character #4” that no one remembers.

Yet somehow in our own life-movies, we often default to playing supporting roles. We're reactive instead of driving the plot forward. We follow other people's scripts instead of improvising our epic scenes.

This question is your director's megaphone, calling you back to center stage where you belong.

The "Main Character You" is just you with all the hesitation edited out. You with better lighting and a killer soundtrack. You making choices that would make the audience cheer rather than groan, "Why didn't they just...?"

How to use it: Have some fun with this! Grab a pen and actually write "STARRING [YOUR NAME]" at the top of a page. Then list the traits of your character—not who you think you are now, but who the audience would root for. How would they handle tough situations? What bold moves would they make? What values drive their story arc?

Keep this "character sheet" handy and consult it when facing decisions. Would your audience be screaming at the screen if you took the safe route here?

What it unlocks: The superpower of being the hero in your own story rather than an extra in someone else's. The freedom to make plot-twisting decisions that actually reflect who you want to be, not who everyone expects you to be. And the satisfaction of knowing that if they made a movie about your life, people would actually want to watch it!

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7. What Would I Attempt If I Knew The Resources Would Appear When Needed?

This question reveals the impact of manifestation in action. 

We default to thinking linearly: "I need X amount of money, Y specific skills, and Z connections to make this happen—and since I don't have those things, I can't move forward."

But this mindset ignores a fundamental truth about progress: momentum attracts resources. When you start moving toward meaningful goals with conviction, opportunities tend to appear that weren't visible from the starting line.

The most successful entrepreneurs, artists, and innovators don't wait until all conditions are perfect—they start with what they have, and trust that resources will emerge as they progress.

How to use it: Identify something significant you've wanted to pursue but have delayed because you "don't have the resources." Write down what you would do if you knew that resources—money, connections, skills—would appear when needed. Then identify the smallest possible first step that requires only what you already have.

What it unlocks: The courage to begin before you feel "ready," the ability to focus on momentum, and the confidence to trust in your ability to attract what you need along the way.

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8. What Will Make This Certainly Fail?

Charlie Munger popularized inversion as a powerful mental model in business thinking. Instead of asking what you need to do to succeed, you flip the question and ask what would guarantee failure—then focus on avoiding those things.

This question is powerful because it cuts through our optimistic tendencies and forces us to confront potential pitfalls directly. It's much easier to identify what will break something than what will make it work perfectly.

For businesses, the answers often come down to fundamentals: running out of cash, building something nobody wants, losing key team members, or failing to execute on core promises.

For personal goals, the answers might include inconsistency, lack of accountability, unrealistic expectations, or neglecting your health.

How to use it: Before your next important project, take 15 minutes to write down everything that would absolutely guarantee its failure. Then systematically create safeguards against each scenario.

What it unlocks: A clearer view of priorities, protection against catastrophic risks, and the ability to focus your limited energy on what truly matters.

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9. If My Personal Life Was Exposed To The Public, Would I Be Proud?

This is probably the most powerful and scary question.

I’ve always remembered this one scene from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” as one of the most powerful visuals of character.

 In the book they're talking about the secrets inside Boo Radley's house, and Scout remarks that "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets." 

The question exposes the alignment between your public persona and private reality. It asks whether you're living with integrity—not just appearing to have values, but actually embodying them consistently.

In today's world, we're experts at curating our public image. We share the highlights, the achievements, the polished versions of ourselves. But true character is revealed in the private moments:

• How you speak to people when stressed
• What you consume when no one is watching
• How you spend your time when not being observed
• Whether you honor the commitments made only to yourself
• How you treat people who can do nothing for you

How to use it: Imagine someone shadowed you for two weeks, seeing everything—your private conversations, browsing history, how you spend idle time, how you treat others when tired or stressed. Would you be proud of what they saw? Where would they see the largest gaps between your public persona and private behavior? Identify one area where you can begin closing that gap.

What it unlocks: The peace that comes from integrity and alignment, freedom from the exhaustion of maintaining different versions of yourself, and the confidence of knowing your character is consistent.

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10. What Stories Am I Telling Myself That Limit Who I Can Become?

"The words you say matter," says Jesse Itzler. What you repeatedly tell yourself becomes your actions, which become your habits... and your habits will show you your future.

We all carry internal narratives about who we are and what we're capable of. Many of these stories were formed years ago—some in childhood—but they continue to shape our decisions and behaviors today.

Common limiting stories include:

• "I'm not a math person"
• "I'm terrible with money"
• "I'm not creative"
• "I can't speak in public"
• "I'm too old/young to start that"
• "I don't have the discipline for that"

These stories feel like objective truth because we've repeated them for so long. But they can actually be questioned and rewritten.

Every time you tell yourself you "can't" do something or you're "not the type of person who" does something, you're reinforcing these restrictions and creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

How to use it: Complete this sentence: "I'm just not the kind of person who..." Write down everything that comes to mind. For each statement, ask: "Is this an unchangeable fact or a story I've accepted?" Choose the most limiting belief and write a new, more empowering narrative to replace it.

What it unlocks: Freedom from self-imposed limitations, the ability to develop new capabilities you previously thought impossible, and awareness of how your internal narratives shape your external reality.

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Putting Questions into Action

The power of these questions comes from making them regular check-ins for your life and business.

Here's how I use them:

Daily Reflection

I keep these questions saved in my Notes app. When facing decisions or feeling stuck, I pull them up and choose the one most relevant to my situation. Just spending 2-3 minutes with the right question often provides immediate clarity.

Weekly Planning

Each Sunday, I select one question as my "lens" for the week ahead and use it to guide my priorities and decisions for the next seven days.

Summary

The key is making these questions accessible in your daily life—don't just read them once and move on. Print them out, save them on your phone, or write them somewhere you'll see them regularly.

Remember, breakthrough thinking starts with breakthrough questions. The right question at the right time can change everything.