As one year comes to close and another begins, we are drawn to making new plans, setting new goals, and assessing whether we have made a difference.
For many of us, that assessment begins with questioning everything that we have done, everything we are about to do, and everything we might do.
It’s a rare thing to have great questions, let alone great answers.
But when we can ask ourselves the right questions, they can lead us to insightful answers.
The following questions can make a difference in your life:
What am I most passionate about? What do you love with all your heart? What do you feel strongly about? Ask yourself, are you living a life of passion?
Who can I encourage? We all (myself included) need encouragement from time to time. Who do you know who may be struggling and in need of help?
What do I need to let go of? Let go of baggage.You know the people you need to forgive, relationships that need to end. Let go and lighten your load for your journey. How will you open your heart and allow yourself to let go?
What am I grateful for? To be grateful is to acknowledge all that is good in your life. It is the foundation of abundance. What are you grateful for and who do you need to thank?
How can I add value to others? Life is about service to others, and there are many opportunities to serve and to make a difference. Where and how will you add value?
Who do I love and what am I doing about it? We can get so caught up in our day-to-day stresses that we lose our connection, our desire to be loved and loving. Where can you focus on love?
What am I pretending not to know? All possibilities open up when we stop deceiving ourselves. If you stop pretending, life can be easier to face.
What would I do if fear was not an option? We have assigned immense power to our fears. How can we liberate ourselves from our fear and allow our heart to set us free? Think of that one thing, that scares you and go out and do it today!
How do I want the world to be different because I lived in it? We each have a purpose and we create our lives by living our passion and we make a difference by sharing our heart. What mark are you leaving on this world and how will you be remembered?
At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.
By asking ourselves questions that force us to think, feel, and look within ourselves, we can confront what is important to us.
Questions are an invitation to learn more about what we value most.
Many of us look at our problems and challenges and try to find ways to solve them and when we know our values our decisions become easier.
Living is an art of expression; reasoning is an art of thought.
Do not allow your reasoning to get in the way of your living. Approach all that you do with the right questions and then make the time to live with what matters most to you.
Lead From Within: If you want to make a difference in your life and your leadership, you must begin by asking yourself questions that provoke thought, focus and action that leads to a life of more meaning and more substance.
N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
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18 Responses
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to “Questions That Make A Difference”
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January 4, 2014
[…] Questions That Make A Difference ”As one year comes to close and another begins, we are drawn to making new plans, setting new goals, and assessing whether we have made a difference. For many of us, that assessment begins with questioning everything that we have done, everything we are about to do, and everything we might do.” Lolly Daskal gives us 9 great questions to get the new year off and running. […]
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January 29, 2014
[…] I want to daily ask good questions (from Lolly Daskall “Lead from Within”): […]
David Crowley
31. Dec, 2013
Very much agree about the value of questions, and you have a good list! “What am I pretending not to know” is an interesting one.
I’ve been spending time asking myself questions related to goals I have for 2014, which seems to be helping me shape more specific plans for how I will achieve them.
Martina
31. Dec, 2013
Excellent message, Lolly. I especially like “Don’t allow reasoning to get in the way of your living.”
But it is not always reason, but often fear that gets in the way of living our grander and much imagined lives.
And yes, the question that we must ask ourselves to paraphrase Rumi is, what sets me on fire? What do I love doing and how can I fold that into my everyday existence.
We have come to make a difference.
But like love, we must re-learn how to start with ourselves.
May your New a year be richly blessed Lolly.
M.
lollydaskal
31. Dec, 2013
Martina
you are so right everything we do, we must start from within, everything we need to accomplish we already know. We must RE-learning what we already know- and we need to do it all with LOVE!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU and blessings to all that you love!
Lolly
Alli Polin
31. Dec, 2013
So many great questions here, Lolly! Wow – how do I want the world to be different because I lived in it? Love that and will be continuing to work on my answer.
Thank you for your remarkable work and heartfelt connection.
Big, huge, Happy New Year to you, Lolly!
lollydaskal
31. Dec, 2013
Alli,
Always a pleasure to read your thoughts.
This year it was an honor to get to know you.
Looking forward to a great year together in 2014!
Blessings to you.
Lolly
Jorge
31. Dec, 2013
Lolly,
Best way to start my day today and end 2013 was to read and feel these questions. Love it!
My goal in life is to leave this world better than how I found it. Off to a great start with a loving family by my side.
All the best to you in the new year.
lollydaskal
31. Dec, 2013
Jorge,
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Appreciate you.
Lolly
Amy
31. Dec, 2013
Excellent! Love this. Thank you! Happy New Year all.
lollydaskal
31. Dec, 2013
Happy New Year to you too Amy!
Blessings
Lolly
Panteli Tritchew
31. Dec, 2013
Last week’s #leadromwithin chat was truly inspiring and generated a powerful aha moment for me early in the chat. It was easy enough to reply to Q3(How do you celebrate your imperfections?), but Q1 (How do you celebrate your life?) and Q2: (How do you celebrate your accomplishments?) stunned me when I realized that I don’t celebrate. Full stop.
There were so many wonderful answers, but I’m still processing those two questions; however, the pilot light for celebration has been lit. Heartfelt Gratitude!
Your questions in today’s post are equally powerful. I have no idea if there are any aha moments on the horizon , but I love how these questions resonate so deeply, pushing us towards a more conscious, more intentional and more human life.
I hope to catch some of tonight’s chat, depending on how my commute goes shortly.
Wishing you the very best this New Year’s Eve with much gratitude for your tireless work and your gifts from the heart.
Tom Rhodes
31. Dec, 2013
Lolly, an incredible message and a series of wonderful questions. You have given me much food for thought as I move into the new year.
theteapixie
01. Jan, 2014
Fabulous inspiring questions, Lolly! I will be sharing this article far and wide.
Thank you for creating such a wonderful source of positivity through your blog and through the leadfromwithin weekly chat. You are portal through which I have met many wonderful Twitteratti and through which I have had the joy to explore ideas that shape our inner and outer worlds.
It is with deep and heartfelt gratitude that I wish for you a fantastic 2014 – even better than 2013, if that is possible!
Hoda Maalouf (@MaaHoda)
01. Jan, 2014
Dear Lolly,
Great set of questions that everyone need to consider!
As part of being a university professor and adviser, I take very good care of my students and advisees. I always try to motivate them and push them to do their best. However, there’s something I keep avoid doing is taking good care of myself. That’s my weakest point and the issue that I need to tackle.
Grateful to have connected with you in 2013! Happy 2014!
Love,
Hoda
Terri Klass
01. Jan, 2014
The power of questions in allowing the human mind to explore is beyond measure.
When we ask ourselves such important questions we give ourselves the gift of looking inwards for the perfect answers.
Thank you Lolly for beginning the new year by challenging us to ask ourselves what we are grateful for and what we would do if fear was not a factor in our choices.
Loved the post! Love your amazing wisdom that continually guides me!
Terri
Helal
01. Jan, 2014
Lolly..
Thank you ..
Steve Yeatts
12. Jan, 2014
Thanks Lolly! I love the concept of what would a person do if s/he ruled out fear. We need to not only be dream chasers, but also dream “shapers” to help others in their journey as well.