50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind, Part 1

Right now, I’m in Orlando! It’s Friday, so I’m hopefully still sleeping when this posts and gearing up for a day at Disney World! Be jealous.

A while back, Ashley linked to this survey on her Life List and it looked like a really interesting survey to take, with questions that were different and introspective. So, here you go, my first 5 questions on this list answered:

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

I would never put my age at 22, or older. I think many bloggers would easily be able to say they act a lot older than their age indicates, but it’s not so for me. I would pinpoint my age around 19-20, with the fact that I’m still in school, still live with my mom, have a part-time job where I’m only responsible to pay our phone bill + gas when needed, and have seemingly no responsibility for important issues.

I’m not saying I’m not responsible or mature, and I do think there are certain areas of my life where I do act way above my age. It also doesn’t help that I’m constantly mistaken as a high-schooler. But there are some areas of my life that I think I could take a bigger step toward fixing and proving myself to be the 22-year-old that I am.

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

I think they both are pretty bad. In both instances, you’re left with regrets. You’re left with what-ifs. Failing makes you feel like a loser and never trying makes you feel lazy. I will say that the horrible feeling I get in the pit of my stomach from not trying is way worse than the pit I get when I fail. When you fail at something, you learn. You grow. You move on, knowing you won’t make that same mistake again. (Hopefully.) But when you live a life of never trying new things and experiences, you can’t learn or grow. You become stuck on a stagnant path of nothingness. It’s a terrible feeling I know all too well.

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

I’m having a hard time with this question. I’ve typed and deleted an answer about 5 times because it’s a hard one to answer. On the one hand, it’s just life. Sometimes, you have to do things you don’t want to do, like work commitments and spending time with your in-laws. Sometimes, money issues and fears get in the way of things we like but don’t do, such as traveling. On the other hand, I think it’s because we become comfortable in our shallow worlds where we sit in our bubble of containment, not venturing out to make a difference because we’re afraid of what will happen. We’re afraid we’ll grow and change and become a person with a whole new set of goals and ideals.

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

I think that’s natural. There is so much I want to do, so much I want to see. At 22, I feel like my future is wide open. I feel like I have so much time to do everything and it fills me with such excitement. There are some Big Life Events that I want to happen (such as getting married, becoming a mother, and graduating college) and then there are life experiences that I want to enjoy (such as traveling, getting published, running a half-marathon). I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and come up with a Life List, which is something I should do.

At the end of my life, I hope I can say I lived a fulfilled life, where I touched people. I want to be surrounded by loved ones and know I was happy with myself.

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

Judgment. I would like the world to have less judgment. I think we too quickly judge others by outward appearances too easily. I know I do it. If I kept a tally of how many people I judged in one day, I would be a little embarrassed by the number. I see it all the time at work, with people judging how others dress and take care of their children – even if they have “too many” kids. I see it on TV and in magazines and blogs. I know change has to start within. It has to start with me. If I started judging less, maybe it would spark others around me to start judging less. Food for thought, at least.