25 Inspiring Questions That Will Make Your 2021 Better Than 2020
By: Moreno Zugaro
Tags: Self Improvement, Life Lessons, Inspiration, Happiness, New Years Resolutions

1. Who are you?

This one is as simple as it gets — but that’s where its power lies. Most people answer with their name or their jobs, but there is more to you. Try using only a few, simple sentences.

2. Where do you want to be in a year from now?

You know you don’t want another pandemic, lockdown, and imminent job loss, but what do you want instead? There’s no point in running if you don’t know where to.

3. What will you do to get there?

Having a dream is all fine and dandy but you’ll still have to do the work. No action, no progress.

4. What are you grateful for?

The year has been a crazy ride and the media machine-gunned you with devastating headlines. Take cover from the rapid-fire for a second and think about the good things that happened this year and what you’re grateful for.

5. What can you do to strengthen your important relationships?

If 2020 has taught us one thing, it’s that isolation sucks. Humans are social animals and your relationships are essential to your happiness. But your friendships and relationships need nurturing, else they wither. What can you do to strengthen these bonds?

6. What will people say about you at your funeral?

Death is an omnipresent part of life and 2020 has painfully brought this fact to our attention. Any one of us could die anytime, leaving behind loved ones and friends. What will these people say about you at your funeral? And how do you want them to remember you?

7. What were your biggest mistakes?

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.” — J.K. Rowling

Mistakes are only valuable if you learn from them. Think about what and why you did wrong — and how you can do better next time.

8. What made you happy and what made you unhappy?

Life’s purpose isn’t happiness, but it won’t hurt to invite some of it into your house and kick out the bad guests that made you miserable instead.

9. What do you want to do more of and what do you want to do less? How do you want to achieve it?

Knowing what makes your life better and what doesn’t is great, but once again, you’ll have to do the work. Your time is finite, so waste it wisely.

10. What are the three biggest lessons you learned from the past year?

Imagine one day telling your grandkids about 2020. If you had to give them three important life lessons, what would they be?

11. What’s your biggest regret this year?

I don’t think regrets make a lot of sense. The past is the past and there’s nothing you can do about it. But that doesn’t mean I’m free of them — and regrets tell you an awful (and sometimes painful) lot about your inner workings.

12. What are the three biggest accomplishments you’re proud of this year?

This year it’s particularly easy to feel like your life went downhill. But I guarantee you there’s something you’ve accomplished like a boss that you can be proud of.

13. What do you want to learn in the upcoming year and who’s going to be your teacher and idol?

2020 came with a lot of free time and we’ve put at least some to good use. My roommate bought a guitar, I’m drowning in books, and my girlfriend picked up Yoga again.

The best investment you can make is in yourself. Think about what you want to learn next year and who will be your teacher. A clear outline makes it much easier to get to work.

14. What books do you want to read?

“Reading is thinking with someone else’s head instead of one’s own. — Arthur Schopenhauer

Did I already mention that I’m drowning in books? Reading is a great way to “stand on the shoulders of giants”, as Isaac Newton put it. 2020 has shown that we need to challenge a good deal of our assumptions about life. Check out this list if you want to change your view of the world as it is.