It was a Tuesday, I think. Or maybe a Wednesday. One of those days that blend into the next, you know? I was rushing through the motions, as usual. Coffee in hand, scrolling through emails before my eyes were fully open, mentally rehearsing my to-do list for the umpteenth time.
And then, out of nowhere, it hit me.
I caught my reflection in the mirror – really caught it – and for a split second, I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me. It wasn’t that I looked different. It was the eyes. They seemed to be asking, “Hey, you. Remember me?”
That’s when I realized I hadn’t truly looked at myself, let alone talked to myself, in… well, I couldn’t remember how long.
We do that, don’t we? We spend so much time being who we think we should be – for our jobs, our families, our social media followers – that we forget to check in with who we actually are. We’re experts at calling out others on their BS, but when it comes to our own? We’ve got more blind spots than a car with busted side mirrors.
So I did something crazy. I called in sick (sorry, boss), sat down with a cup of coffee – okay, fine, it was wine – and decided to have a long overdue chat with myself. No holds barred. No sugar-coating. Just real talk.
It was uncomfortable as hell at first. Turns out, I had some tough questions for myself. Questions I’d been dodging like phone calls from telemarketers. But as I sat there, digging deep and facing truths I’d been running from, something shifted. It felt like finally scratching an itch I didn’t even know I had.
That day changed things for me. Not in a dramatic, movie-montage kind of way. But in quiet moments, in small decisions, in the way I started to see myself and the world around me.
Now, I’m not saying you need to fake a sick day and break out the wine (unless that’s your thing – no judgment here). But I am inviting you to take a beat. To get curious about the person you are when no one’s watching. To ask yourself the questions you’ve been avoiding.
Fair warning: it might get messy. You might not like all the answers. But trust me, the conversation is long overdue, and you might be surprised by what you discover.
So, ready to dive in? Don’t worry, I’ll go first. Here are some questions that shook things up for me. They might just do the same for you.
1. How often do you pause to truly listen to the silence within yourself?
2. What childhood dream have you abandoned, and is it time to reignite that spark?
3. If your future self could whisper one piece of advice, what would you hear?
4. How many times have you let fear disguise itself as practicality?
5. What unspoken words are you carrying, and to whom do they belong?
6. When was the last time you surprised yourself with your own resilience?
7. How much of your identity is truly yours, and how much is inherited from others?
8. What story do you keep telling yourself that no longer serves your growth?
9. If your life were a book, would you be proud of the chapter you’re writing right now?
10. How often do you mistake comfort for happiness?
11. What part of yourself have you been hiding from the world, and why?
12. When did you last allow yourself to be truly vulnerable?
13. How many of your beliefs have you actually questioned, rather than simply accepted?
14. What promise to yourself have you been postponing, and what’s holding you back?
15. If you could erase one regret, would it change who you are today?
16. How often do you mistake motion for progress in your life?
17. What mask do you wear most often, and what would happen if you took it off?
18. When was the last time you stood up for something, even when you stood alone?
19. How many times have you forgiven others but struggled to forgive yourself?
20. What childhood wound are you still carrying into your adult relationships?
21. If your happiness were a currency, how rich would you be right now?
22. How often do you confuse your self-worth with your achievements?
23. What truth about yourself have you been running from, and is it time to face it?
24. When was the last time you embraced uncertainty as an opportunity for growth?
25. How many moments of beauty have you missed while worrying about the future?
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