Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind"

1/ How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

37 Keeps popping into my head ..

2/ Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Never trying for sure ..

3/ If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

I go to work to keep a roof over my head, pay my bills, put food on the table. I don't like routine necessarily but recognise it keeps me grounded. Quite often I do things to please other people such as family and friends but then healthy relationships do require some level of give and take, others such as neighbours or acquaintances I may find myself wishing to 'just keep the peace', I hate confrontations.

Things I like to do but don't do enough off are most likely due to financial or time constraints.

4/ When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

Well yes when you consider said is spoken and actions are silent ..

5/ What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

If there was more respect in the world, there would be less hate and violence as people would be respectful of others, less poverty, starvation and homelessness as governments would look after its people, less pollution as people would respect nature and its natural inhabitants and so forth ..

6/ If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

I would love to travel the world and I love creative people so traveling the world with creative types would be my ideal.

7/ Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

I believe in what I am doing but settling as outlined in Q3.

8/ If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but without experience there would be no hindsight and lessons learned that comes with age.

9/ To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

I have controlled most of my life without always recognising or understanding the consequences of my actions.

10/ Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

I always strive to do the right things by others and doing things right for myself.

11/ You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

I wouldn't join in with their criticism thats for sure and would tell them that she is a good friend of mine and take it from there .. I would definitely lose respect and be less admirable as I can't stand this type of behaviour.

12/ If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Always do your best; stay true to yourself; do what makes you happy. Why stop at one?

13/ Would you break the law to save a loved one?

Hmm .. maybe .. there's lots of connotations here ..

14/ Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

Possibly .. I've seen the insanity of a passing phase inspire a creative writing ..

15/ What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

Apparently I hold things funny; recently a friend told me I hold my knife funny and when we were out playing table tennis half way through one of my colleagues demonstrated the right way I should be holding the bat ..

16/ How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

I know right .. What's up with that? Individualism is unique ..

17/ What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

I would love to travel more .. There are lots of places in the world I would love to see but financially I have to work to be able to afford one holiday abroad a year ..

18/ Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

Emotionally I hold on to a lot of things I need to let go of .. Materialistically I'm doing better at letting go ..

19/ If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

I have often thought about this .. I would love to spend 3 months living in a range of different countries for the experience and culture .. Ideally I would live in sunny climates surrounded by nature and a beach within walking distance, I think this would be more a relaxed pace of living ..

20/ Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

In my impatience I'm sure I have done this .. Of course it doesn't make it go any faster ..

21/ Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

I would rather feel joyful with a simple outlook on life than be a stressed out worry wart ..

22/ Why are you, you?

A little bit of DNA and a lot of life experiences have shaped me into who I am today ..

23/ Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

For the most part, my intentions are thoughtful and genuinely good ..

24/ Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

I've lost touch with a fair few friends over the years, quite sad really .. on the other side of the world I've stayed in touch with a good friend for ten years now ..

25/ What are you most grateful for?

There are so many things to be grateful for .. my kids being happy and settled are tops though ..

26/ Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

Difficult one .. I think over time you gradually lose memories anyways and I'd prefer to make new and hopefully more exciting ones to replace the loss ..

27/ Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

Yes, sometimes its just a gut feeling ..

28/ Has your greatest fear ever come true?

Every time I see a spider wandering / sprinting / dangling around my home .. Yes .. on a more serious note I always feared I would never see my dad again after he broke contact, he died last year ..

29/ Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

I remember that time nine years ago .. it had a really profound effect on me and it matters in its teaching ..

30/ What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

Any involving my dad .. he was in the army and I lived with various nans .. I remember one time being at a Great nan's house and throwing a tin of buttons in a tantrum then my dad coming up to my room whilst I was sleeping to give me a teddy bear .. memories like that are far and few between ..

31/ At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

At work .. I value the work I do and the people I work with ..

32/ If not now, then when?

Some time in the future subject to change ..

33/ If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

Nothing ..

34/ Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

I don't think so ..

35/ Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

I am not religious but have met people who practice religion with such passion .. I guess some are driven to fight for they believe in ..

36/ Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

Why do I feel like this is a trick question .. the answer is obviously yes ..

37/ If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

That sounds very tempting ..

38/ Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

I already enjoy my work but could do with less work to do ..

39/ Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

No, almost every day is different in my line of work ..

40/ When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

I can't remember ..

41/ If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

I'd book a table in a local restaurant and invite all those that matter ..

42/ Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

Nope ..

43/ What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

Being alive is one's heart beating .. Truly living to me means living your life to the full, making every moment count, doing what makes you happy and following your dreams.

44/ When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

I don't really sit here calculating risk and rewards .. if I did I would probably think about giving up work and going traveling instead but for that I would need a significant amount of financial stability behind me and the confidence to go it alone .. so I go ahead trying to do the right things focusing on making progress in work, at home and in my relationships with others ..

45/ If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

A mistake is usually unintentional but can cause alot of pain which can haunt well into the future .. I don't believe anyone wants to feel emotional pain or that they've failed so its natural to feel afraid of making a mistake ..

46/ What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Open up more emotionally possibly ..

47/ When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

After reading this question ..

48/ What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

I love my work; kids; kitties; friends; music and dance and a whole heap of little things expressed mainly through my actions ..

49/ In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

Probably not but then if yesterday's actions are small steps of progression then they will still matter in 5 years from now when they are long forgotten and replaced by better things ..

50/ Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

I am making decisions for myself .. some of those decisions may involve others too, so compromising is always going to be in the mix ..

A good set of questions which provided more focus and insight than I initially thought they would!