Ok, let’s think about it.

Sometimes we have to stop and evaluate how our life is.

Whenever we stop and start asking things like the one in the headline, we stop lying to ourselves and perceive if we’re in the right way, the one we really want.

There’s another philosophical question you can try, although this one is a little bit more dramatic:

How would my life change if I knew I was going to die within a year?

I’m not asking myself these kinds of questions on a daily basis, but I do ask them at least once a year.

It means going deep into your inner thoughts. It means to really investigate how you feel about your life.

Obviously, the right answer to these two questions is quite simple: NOTHING.

Answering that means you really have the life you want, the one that gives you sense. You wouldn’t change anything at all.

Presenting these kinds of scenarios takes you to an in-depth analysis of your existence. Don’t think about it as a dramatic experience.

It’s just giving you the time needed to reflect, “escape” from the present, and think how you would react in a situation like those.

It doesn’t mean to elude all responsibilities and start a crazy existence without goals, burning out, just thinking about the present.

These two questions will drive you to think about your limitations, they will bring you the opportunity to make changes in behaviors, routines, habits, actions…

Let’s analyze “How Would My Life Change If I Had 100 Million Dollars?”

• Will you buy a new house?
• Will you get a new car?
• Will you invest in something?

Seeing how you would react to this situation will give you very interesting information.

It will let you see what your real deficiencies are.

• If you think you will get a new car, it means you’re not happy about the one you have.
• If you think you will invest to save for the future, it means you feel you’re not saving enough.
• If you think you don’t really need anything at all, it means you’re really fulfilled with all the things you have. Obviously, they could be better, but you don’t really need to improve them to feel you have a better life.

Presenting this scenario to your brain will allow it to make an honest evaluation of your today’s situation.

Perceiving what you’re lacking will let you focus on those things, define new goals, and think about how to create actions to achieve them.

It’s not a stupid exercise. It’s just “moving to the limit” to take out your deepest thoughts.

Being honest with yourself will always lead you to good results.

Let’s analyze, “How Would My Life Change If I Knew I Was Going to Die Within a Year?”

This looks like the question for a suicide, but don’t look it that way.

Let’s see why it can be useful to give it a try.

If you start listing all the things you would do in this situation, you will also see which things you’re not paying the attention they deserve.

• Will you make a fantastic trip with your partner? This could mean you feel you should spend more time together.
• I will quit my job could mean you’re completely fed up.
• If you answer you wouldn’t change too many things, it could be a good sign you’re on the right track.

Again, this radical scenario will allow you to let your brain think freely, without economic or time pressure.

These two factors limit your way of thinking.

They create barriers.

They don’t let you express yourself with sincerity, and that’s where frustrations, deceptions, and that kind of negative thoughts start growing.

Conclusions

We need to have tools to let us think without limits.

Our brains are constricted by biases, responsibilities, time, money… We need to set them free.

Using tools like these two questions is how we will say to ourselves:

• How we really feel.
• What we really want.
• What we really feel we’re missing.
• What we should really spend time on.
• …

Answering those questions will open new ways in our life, or just make little corrections to the ones we’re in.

As always, nothing to lose. A lot to win.

Let’s give it a try!

Photo at the top courtesy of Mathieu Stern on Unsplash.