5 Questions to Shape a Life of Purpose

A note to young leaders (continued).
From the book, “Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions”, Ryan urges his readers to habitually ask five key questions. We covered the first three in my previous post, and here are the last two:

4. “How can I help?” Wanting to help others is often inspired by a noble intent. But before you do, it’s best to start by asking with humility for directions. Otherwise the “white knight” complex may cause you to help people in a way that is either harmful, demeaning or neutral.

5. “What truly matters?” In the final analysis, nothing much matters other than family, friends, meaningful work and acts of kindness. Reminding yourself of this touchstone truth can save you much time and stress and help you separate the truly important from the trivial.

Asking Ryan’s questions will help you to ultimately answer the big question, which Ryan extracts from the opening sentence of Raymond Carver’s poem Late Fragment: “And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?”

Since the exact time of our mortality is uncertain, and distraction is an ever-present threat – to live your life in such a way as to be able to say “yes” with conviction to the big question involves regular check-ins with yourself.

Asking Ryan’s open-ended questions is a wise way to live. You can live a productive life without them, but you cannot live a creative or kind life.

And best of all, Ryan’s questions have a way of opening you up to unknown opportunities, which is by far the most fun part of life.