Know Thyself

Asking Questions of Yourself

Know thyself

Socrates famously said, “Know thyself.” This is the first step in leading others well. Daniel Goleman says that in order to lead others well, we must first know and lead ourselves well.

Questions to assess your emotional intelligence.  (These are simple yes/no Qs)

  1. Are you usually aware of your feelings and why you feel that way?

  2. Are you aware of your strengths, as well as your limitations and blind spots?

  3. Do you recognize when your behaviors or actions affect others?

  4. Are you able to manage your distressing emotions well and bounce back quickly from stressful situations?

  5. Can you adapt smoothly to change?

  6. Are you able to manage your emotions--calm yourself down when you feel anxious or upset?

  7. Are you able to listen without jumping to judgment?

  8. Are you able to focus on the big picture and main priorities? Do you know the steps it takes to get there?

  9. Are you able to detect the feelings of others around you and understand their way of seeing things?

  10. Can you freely admit to making a mistake?

  11. Are you keen on negotiating agreements that benefit both you and others in order to settle conflicts?

PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

  1. Why is there something rather than nothing?

  2. Is our universe real?

  3. Do we have free will? What does that look like?

  4. Does God exist? What are our limitations of fully comprehending that?

  5. Is there life after death? What does that look like?

  6. Can you really experience anything objectively? (Hint: everything must travel through OUR five senses and then we have to interpret that data)

  7. What would be the basis of a moral system if there was no god? What is the best moral system, based on what?

7 Questions to Discover Your Life Purpose - Graham Weaver

  1. What is play for you that is work for everyone else?

  2. if you didn’t have to make money, what would you actually want to do?

  3. What kind of people do you get energy from and where do you find those people?

  4. In the next five years, how do you want to grow and what do you want to learn?

  5. Who are five people in your life that you admire, and what are they doing?

  6. What is the thing that you really want to do but are too embarrassed to tell anyone about?

  7. If you knew you would not fail, what would you dare to do?