Questions are very important on our way to mindfulness. The Greek philosopher Socrates thought that questions could lead us to many discoveries. One of the most important discoveries is the way we think and function. When we ask the right questions, we get good answers that help us grow and evolve to a better version of ourselves.

As a life coach, I master questions. I know that some questions I ask (myself or others) will lead to pain and others will empower people, like press buttons for “let’s move on”, “let’s do something”, “let’s think positively”, “let’s plan”, “let’s change perspective” and “let’s appreciate”.

There are many “buttons” in the brain that trigger a thought or a feeling. For example, the “good memory” button will make us happy and the “bad memory” button will bring us pain and suffering. We may not have more bad memories than good memories, but we will have more suffering if we hit bad memory buttons more often.

Questions can trigger happiness, empowerment, hope, anger, frustration or anxiety. When we ask, “Why do they hate me?” we trigger all memories supporting it. If we ask, “How can I make them love me?” our brain searches for memories of things we’ve done that have led to others showing us love.

Think of questions as instructions we give the brain to go and search for something. Like a dog – you throw it a toy or a boomerang and whatever you throw comes back (only the brain doesn’t bring it back wet).

Some say that the quality of your life depends on the quality of your questions. If your questions are bad, you’ll have a bad life. If your questions are good, you’ll have good life. Simple!

Here is a list of questions that will move you forward, towards a mindful happy and fulfilling life. If you want, put them on a piece of paper (or your mobile, IPad or computer screen) and make sure to go over them twice a day. I find the morning and evening to be good times to read them. Morning sets you up for a good day and evening is a summary of the day and makes your dreams work for you.

What am I grateful for?
What can I do/say/think/feel that will bring me happiness?
What memories bring me joy?
How can I be more positive?
How can I be more kind?
What thought does not serve me and needs to be released?
Who are the people that support me in life and how can I spend more time with them?
What can I do/say/think/feel that will make me a better person?
What have I learned that will lead me to a better future?
Who do I need to forgive?
What went well today for me and how did I contribute to it?