I believe that questions are the answers. What I mean is that the process of asking good questions—questions that lead to more clarity—lead us to power.

After all, isn't that what a good consultant or therapist does? A good counselor doesn't give us the answers, they help us to get clear on the problems we face and allow us to uncover how best to resolve them. Much of the value of a coach/consultant/therapist session is that we're forced to take the time to think and ponder the answers to good questions.

A great deal of this can be done ourselves by taking the time to generate and consider elegant questions. By using these questions as a tool, they will move you further along the path of success and you'll have a more fulfilling journey.

1. What is my purpose? My mission?

   We need a mission that motivates and inspires us to be our best. Is mine clear? Does it empower me? Do I feel impassioned by it?

2. What are my three most important goals right now?

These should at our top-of-mind awareness. These goals must be measurable, personal and have a target date for completion.

3. What actions can I take today to move me closer to accomplishing these three goals?

Actions are just that—measurable steps over which we have control. Do it now!

4. What are my three biggest roadblocks to accomplishing my three most important goals?

What are my biggest problems? What stops me? What discourages me? What do I need in order to get the job done?

5. What can I set in motion today?

Too many people wait for their ships to come in when they've never sent any out. What can I cause to happen? What can I begin today? And remember, beginning is half done.

6. What can I complete today?

Completions empower. We can't be totally present unless our past is fully complete. Those things left undone drag us down and hinder our progress. Check something off today. Put it behind you. "Do it, dump it or change it."

What are three things I'm now tolerating and want to eliminate?

We get what we settle for. By getting rid of what we don't want in our lives, we make way for what we do want. It's the principle of vacuum. By eliminating our tolerations, we free up our energy, reduce our frustration and increase our creativity.

Who and what am I most appreciative of in my life?

Another meaning of the word appreciate is to increase in value or price. An attitude of gratitude is worthy of cultivating. By focusing on what/who we have in our lives, we will eventually have even more to appreciate.

If I had six months to live, what would I do with it?

We each have 100% of the rest of our lives left. But the fact is, we may not even have six months to live. Shouldn't we live the next six months as if they were our last?

What are the three most important things in the world to me?

We love what we give our time to. Am I giving my time (loving) what's really important to me?

Note: The use of the number three throughout these questions is not coincidental. Three items can be easily remembered. Three is also a powerful number metaphysically—a number of completion. The most powerful physical structure is a triangle or pyramid. In fact, it's the building block of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes and the Great Pyramids of Egypt.

Michael Angier is founder of Success Networks, a support organization whose mission is to inform, inspire and empower people to be their best — personally and professionally.
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