Taking inspiration from Ted, I’ve compiled a list of the 12 questions I find myself returning to most.
Many sit within “direction setting” and “building blocks” — which I think of as enablers. As I answer these questions, I’ll shift my attention towards “impact”.
Direction setting
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How to reach my definition of success?
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Where do I want to live?
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What do I want to work on?
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Who do I want to spend my time with?
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What makes me feel alive? What’s most fun to me?
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How would I describe my personal set of ethics? From what traditions can I take inspiration?
Building blocks
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How to build and maintain a pain free, strong, limber body that is both performant and long-lasting?
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How to understand, address, and grow through my self stories and mental tendencies?
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How can creativity, intellectual vitality, wonder, and learning be maintained in the face of inescapable obstacles — such as earning a living, or aging, or financial hardship, or residing far from major cultural centers?
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How to think, learn, and communicate more effectively?
Impact
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Why are most parties so boring? (i.e., how to build enduring communities and culture?)
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How to build humane technology and use it in a way that promotes (rather than) disrupts a good life?