Are you asking? The questions that drive us

I have questioned many things during my lifetime, however, the biggest question that I have found not only I but many others have or don't have is that epitome of a question, "Who am I?" or even "What am I here for?" These questions can either propel us towards a life of fulfillment or a life of confusion, anger, and frustration, unmet needs,and blame. Our question can be a source of motivation, happiness, inspiration, and drive, especially if we ask the question in the right way. The way our question is designed is the blueprint to either a strong foundation or the makings of a fall.
The world many us live in and have grown up in however, does not help us in discovering our question and creating it so we can answer it with a passion. The question that usually comes up for us is something along the lines of "Why must this happen to me?" "How worse can this get?" or "Why am I so stupid?" Our mind is trained to answer questions. Whenever a question is posed, we do our best to answer as best we can. Imagine the answers to question like the ones above. I can imagine, in retrospect, you may be thinking "Wow, I've asked myself these questions before" but furthermore than that are the answers you may be giving yourself.
When you are asked basic personal questions such as your name, age, address, and occupation, you can easily answer these questions without trouble. Even other questions of certain things you value, can easily be answered like what kind of flavor ice cream you enjoy, what your favorite color may be, even your favorite piece of clothing may all be questions that you have answers for and you have found these answers because of your experience with them and now your preference. Yet, we can address so many questions relating to us but the most fundamentals questions of our character, our mission in life, our reasoning of why we do what we do, many of us do not have the answer to those things yet and I strongly believe that we don't have answers because we don't even have the question.
How do we figure out what we're doing today? What we're going to do? What we've done? What answers can we come up with to the things we do on a daily basis? If we wanted to be very technical and basic we would easily answer each question and connect our reasoning for why we did what we did to something like our job, our family, our friends. In other words, we do what we do, at least many of us, because we have to please and accommodate those people, places, and things. And, what happens if we don't? What happens when we don't follow through? What would happen if we didn't follow through? Who is going to be disappointed? Who is going to care less about you? Would you be disappointed in yourself? I see so many people going through their to-do lists, putting a lot of care and love into a lot of people and things, but yet they're doing so much so many others that they rarely see what they want, who they want to see happy, what they would really like to do? Think about it. Do you really want to go to work? Do you really want to go shopping for food? Do you even want to live in the state, country, or house that you're living in?
As one of my long-time teachers says "Life will give you exactly what you ask of it" As The Bible says "Ask, and you shall receive" I go back to the answers we already have. The answers about certain things we value. As you see, through experience, with trial and error, you found out that maybe you liked one ice cream flavor over the other, over time you learned that what you really value in a person is honesty more than adventure, you might have even learned that walking at night might be safer than talking the subway or bus (especially in certain parts of New York City). But, have you found out what your ultimate calling in life is for? Have you found out why you wake up in the morning? Are you doing things our of fear? Fear that without doing certain things you might be looked at as less than you would like, that without following through you might lose something you value in your life, like friends, family, a relationship? What if the your real reason for living might be to give to the best of your ability to your loved ones? What if your answer to why you wake up in the morning is because you want to grow and learn about other people, about yourself. What if your reasoning for why you do anything is because you live with a passion for life, a fire within you that instinctively takes every step with a directed course towards fulfilling a small, yet big part in the world.
If there is anything more important I have learned in my life, they are the questions I ask myself. There is a big difference in the quality of question from "Why does there always have to be a problem?" and "How many ways can we come up with to find something that works for both us so that we can have some organization around the house?" is there not? So, take with you as you move forward towards that larger calling you have in life, the questions that haven't worked too well for you and use them as fuel for what lies behind them. Ask yourself "What am I really looking for and wanting out of this situation?" especially in reference to previous questions. "Am I looking for progress? Am I looking for clarity and communication?" Stray away from the other person. When we begin fearing what someone else is looking for or even their fear, when we live with the fear of the answer we may receive, even the answer from ourselves we begin losing the courage to ever find our deep calling in life. What you can bring to the world with your answer is exactly why asking questions is so important. You can have an answer but if it's not fulfilling, not up to what you really want in life, it's not answer coming from you. It may be coming from your fears, from what you think others are expecting you to say.
Finally, why is this question thing so important? Tony Robbins tells of his story when he was walking around Boston after just having completed a seminar. As he is walking around the park, a homeless man comes up to Tony. He asks Tony "Hey mister, do you have a quarter to share?" Tony pulls out his roll of cash. As Tony explains as well, his mentor, Jim Rohn, taught Tony to keep his big bills on the outside of his roll of cash for various motivating reasons. So Tony pulls out his money. He made it a point to have the homeless man be aware of his money. He then asks the man "That's all you want, one quarter?" to which the homeless man replies "Yup, one quarter that's all I need" Tony pulls out the quarter and as he places it in the homeless man's hand he says "Life will pay you exactly what you ask of it" The homeless man looks at the quarter, he looks back at Tony, looks back at the quarter, looks back at Tony and says "You're weird" So, I ask you, have you found your calling? Have you found your reasoning for what you do? Why do you do what you do? Is it because you want to contribute in the best way possible to the world? Is it because you want to grow to be better than the person you are or were? Why are here? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be? How much do you want to give? How much do you want to receive? Your answers to these questions help fill the mystery that life may be to you right now but you're way ahead of many others who don't even know there are pieces to the puzzle, there are ways to win this game of life. Keep asking and your answers might surprise you.