The average person thinks 12,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. And we tend to judge and blame others much more harshly than we do ourselves. We all have our own beliefs, thoughts, and purpose that build our identities, so questioning ourselves can be uncomfortable. No one said change was easy, but it is almost always worth it. The following questions will challenge your purpose and beliefs and may be tough to answer. If you honestly answer them, hopefully you will be able to go forward and make different or better choices in the way you think and act.

What if I’m wrong?

“What if I’m wrong?” is great for managing your emotions and checking your ego.

What do you do when you are wrong? Do you get upset? Do you acknowledge it? Do you shut down?

How often do you admit when you are wrong? We have a hard time taking responsibility when we are not right because it is such an unpleasant thing to admit.

Our beliefs are based on our own life experiences, education, media consumption, and people we listen to and we all view situations through our own eyes. So, your family, significant other, coworkers, and friends may have different beliefs than you, and that is okay! Try to better understand the world around you and respect the beliefs of others.

Nobody is perfect, but it is always smart to check in and ask yourself, “What if I’m wrong?” And if you are wrong, be okay with it.

Is it impossible?

“Is it impossible?” is what you need for overcoming your excuses.

What do you do when you feel stuck or feel like giving up on something? Do you give in to your excuses or do you figure out a solution? This is the perfect question for when you’re feeling frustrated about something you are trying to achieve in life. It may be trying to get to sleep on time, making time for workouts, or some other significant goal you have.

We don’t like to admit when something is impossible, so our brain comes up with multiple solutions. Almost anything can be an excuse if you let it be. Always ask yourself if it’s impossible. You will almost always find that is is not and there is a solution for most obstacles.

Examples of excuses:

• I don’t have time.
• I can’t afford it.
• That might work for some people, but not for me.
• I don’t know what to do.
• It’s not the right time.
• I have a bad hip/knee/shoulder/etc.
• I can’t get to bed early enough.

Once you overcome your excuses and realize that it is possible, ask yourself, “What do I have to do to make it possible?”

Are you willing to do what it takes?

What’s the worst that could happen?

“What’s the worst that could happen?” is what you can ask yourself to overcome your fears. This is for the stuff you are afraid to do, but you know would be good for you.

If you are scared of something, sometimes it’s best to identify what the worst possible outcome could be. Most of us are afraid of the idea of something, but not the actual thing.

What’s the worst that could happen? Maybe some embarrassment, a bruised ego, or loss of a little time or money.

Are you paralyzed with fear? Do you run away from a situation that makes you uncomfortable? Or do you face that uncomfortable situation head on and overcome it?

When you do the things you are afraid of, usually you’ll feel glad you did it.

What are you giving up on by not taking that chance?

Why not now?

“Why not now?” is the perfect question you need to ask yourself for getting important stuff done.

How accountable do you hold yourself? As a child, our parents hold us accountable, but when you grow up, you become accountable to yourself.

When you have important stuff to get done what do you do? Procrastinate and push it off or get it done right away? When you put things off, it’s still on your mind. You have a cloud looming over you as a reminder that you have something important to do. When you decide to tackle the task now, you save yourself time and you free up space in your mind.

Whether you want to build your own business, start a diet, or any other goal you want to achieve, you need to prioritize and start today. Telling yourself you’ll do it tomorrow or start on Monday just keeps pushing you further and further from achieving your goals. Start now. TODAY. Once the task is done, you can forget about it.

So, what are you waiting for?

What if I’m the problem?

What if you are the problem?

That’s is one of the toughest questions to tackle because you first have to ask yourself if you’re wrong. Nobody likes to admit they are wrong or the problem. People put meaning into comments, words, and actions of others that aren’t there, making others out to be the problem rather than looking at themselves.

If you don’t like how someone treated you, it’s your problem. They were just being themselves. Look at yourself and your actions instead of pointing fingers at others.

We live in a society with others that have different viewpoints. And we might not agree with others on every topic. And that is okay! Your success depends on yourself and your choices, not someone else’s. Learn to let go and focus on what you can control.

So, before you look at your spouse about your marriage, your trainer about your workout plan not working, or your boss about your career, look at yourself.

Ask yourself, “Am I the problem?”

Look back at the last few weeks and ponder on these five questions. Ask yourself these questions regularly and see how much your thoughts and actions change.