Important questions you need to answer

By Rabison Shumba

We live in a busy world. We easily get caught up in the day to day activities of life at the expense of exploring our lives deeper to understand ourselves better. It is important to have a meeting with yourself (please be on time).

In that meeting, you have to be asking questions as you switch roles to provide candid answers. Do not be lenient on yourself as your life depends on the degree to which you take reflections and personal assessments seriously. Below are questions you need to answer to yourself and be confident.

• Who am I? – Now one would say, “this is obvious, my name is..”. This question is deep in that it goes beyond merely telling people your name. Your name is not who you are. You are defined by your values, your beliefs and your priorities. You are not defined by your career. Take time to process this and come up with an answer. This question established identity.

• Where Am I coming from? – A wise man once said you will struggle to know where you are going unless you reflect where you are coming from. Your experiences shape your perceptions of life. Your perceptions sometimes shape your beliefs and identity. While your past is not as important as your present and your future, it helps to give you a launch pad considering what you will not do again and the successes you would want to do better in.

• Why am I here? – It is important to reflect on what brought you thus far and what you are here to accomplish. This question points towards purpose. Everything and everyone that exists is there to achieve a specific purpose. You cannot delegate the finding of this purpose to other people. Think through what moves you and what you are passionate about. It would be tragic to under-live your potential simply because you are aiming hard to run with the purposes of another person.

• Where am I going? – This question gets you to think about the future. We are sometimes consumed with the present pressures of life such that we forget to plan for where we ought to place our next foot. You rather aim very high and miss than not aiming at all for fear of failure. You need to have vision beyond your present circumstances. You will not succeed in accomplishing what you don’t dream about. Is it education, or building a house? Think about the future and it will govern what you do in the present as you walk towards it.

• How do I get there? – You could have a clear picture of what you want in life and what you see as the ultimate achievements. However, it will not be possible to get there if you don’t have the discipline to work towards it. This question makes you think about counting the costs of achieving your dreams. Dreams are not plucked from a tree like fruits. You work for them. It may cost you time to develop a skill or even money. Just invest those things that matter in attaining the ultimate.

• Who can help me get there? – You were never created to have lonely walk on this earth. This question gets you to think about the relationships that are necessary to build who you are becoming. You may achieve success on your own but there are doors that are easier opened for you by other people than you trying on your own. Build effective networks and relationships.

• What must I drop or keep to achieve success? – There are certain habits that one just has to let go while cultivating habits that will take you closer to your goals. When you make a careful assessment, you will realize some of the attitudes that have created chaos in your life while others have brought a lot of positive achievement. Maturity is not in age but knowing what is necessary as part of your character for maximum achievement.

These are not all the questions, you could extend the questionnaire by thinking on questions I may not have covered in this article. Journal your thoughts and follow through on decisions that this article has ignited.

Rabison Shumba is an author, speaker and life-coach. His books include “The Greatness Manual“, “Fountain of Inspiration – Vol. 1 and 2” and an anthology entitled “Showers of Inspiration”. He co-authored “101 Great Ways to Enhance Your Career” and participated in several international writing contests.

In 2012, he was recognized as being #13 in the “Top 100 Zimbabwean Most Influential Young persons under 40″ for thought Leadership. He is an alumnus of the American International Visitor Leadership and Young African Leaders Initiative. He exists to create greatness in others through inspiration. He enjoys mentoring young leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals to serve their organisations with excellence.

You can visit his website www.rabisonshumba.com . He is also contactable on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In