"An unexamined life in not worth living." - Socrates

I have been examining my life for quite a while and wondering what were my accomplishments as a person, as a father, as a partner, as a son, as a brother, as a friend, as a colleague, as a member of our community or organization, etc. Questions that are important for you to determine where you are going or in what direction you are headed. It serves as a sort of a "life compass" that provides you with the proper information and answers the questions: where you are at the present? And in what direction are you going? It is important for by knowing where you are at the present, you will be able to determine and examine what areas of your life needs to be adjusted to be able to make the corresponding changes should there be any. There will always be areas to be improved for we are not perfect. We should always remember that life is a continuous learning process for it is when we stop learning that we stop to grow and a life without improvement will be a life of waste and will just fade away unnoticed.

What are the most basic yet I consider the most important questions that you should ask yourself? What do I want? What is my purpose? What is my mission? Am I in the right track? In reality, it is only after we had determined and answered these questions that the blank canvass of life starts to have an image and colors starts to appear. In the same way that our life starts to have a meaning and say that we are living a meaningful life or that we have indeed lived a meaningful life after our right of passage for we are mere passersby. These types of questions come to us at different times of our life. It may be at an early age of later in life. Our life is a gift, and whatever your religion may be, and setting religion aside, your life, ideally, should be meaningful. More usually than not, we will only tend to appreciate and evaluate life after a loss of a love one or after a near-death experience or if you were given a few more days to spend it. But wouldn’t it be better if it will come or we were guided by the answers at the early years of our life? We should strive to search for its meaning to find what will truly makes us happy and at peace with ourselves. To find a worthy cause, a profession or work, a hobby or recreation, or a career that we find worthy and love or enjoy doing and find a meaning to our bare existence. We can answer those questions by aligning them with our dreams and our values. The meaning of the word “importantâ€

That is very profound. I think you make a lot of good points and are certainly on the right track in life. For me, I had these same questions that you had and then I read the book "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren and it pretty much answered all of my questions....I still have questions and will always have questions but Rick Warren's book put me in the right direction. I would check it out if I were you...it can't hurt. Another book I highly recommend that will help you solve some of your questions is "Zen and the art of happiness" by Chris Prentiss. -God Bless

I totally agree. The Purpose Driven Life is an awesome book. It truly answers the question-Why am I on this planet? In a nutshell, it's not about you, it's about the One who created you. You really need to read this book. It'll make a whole lot more sense once you've read it. Take my advice and buy the book. I bought mine on eBay for $1 plus S & H. It's the best investment I ever made. Good luck on your journey!

I believe that your life is defined by you, not for you. I also believe that any meaningful, happy and fruitful life begins with honest self-reflection and ethics. One of the best books I've read on the topic of a meaningful life is "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl.

Good post!!!

Life should be happiness and should be simple.

Life is mostly froth and bubble;
Two things stand like stone:
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in our own. - Adam Gordon (1833-1870)

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Oh, I so love these topics about what life is about. And I think for so many people they expect it to just be about one destination...but we're on this wonderful, glorious journey!!

I think this is a topic that so many people struggle with because they want to make sure they're not just throwing away their time on menial tasks or doing what isn't important.

I did that for a long time....I was pursuing money, and realizing that the pursuit was making me crazy. (Don't get me wrong, currency is a vital part of our comfort here--but I let it be my focus!) Then when I stepped back, re-examined where I was putting my energy and efforts, I realized that my passions were sitting there right in front of me, the things for which I felt purposeful.

I found my number one purpose was for my family! Ahh, so simple, but I ignored them for a long time! (the quest for money again!) Then it was to help other people find time to enjoy life...exactly what you are discussing here! I tried to ignore that part of my purpose because it just seemed, weird. But that little voice kept coming back and saying..."You are here for a higher purpose...don't ignore me this time!"

Then I listened....