Personal Answers to Life Questions

Life is an intricate journey filled with moments of joy, frustration, laughter, and self-discovery. While we navigate through our daily lives, we often encounter profound questions that inspire introspection. In this blog post, I’ll share my personal answers to some of life's most intriguing questions. I encourage you to reflect on these questions yourself. Here we go!

What Inspires You?

I am inspired by motivated people; people whose lives look like how I want mine to look. Whether it's that they own their own business, their homes seem wonderfully clean and organized, or they are happy and just send out such an energetic vibe.

I am inspired by financial freedom.  I want my family to have the opportunity to do all the things we want to do together.  We only get a short number of years to focus on just the 4 of us and make all the memories we can.  I would love to have a pool to splash in in the backyard at our leisure or have the kids and their friends make memories in my backyard that will be remembered as their childhood.  I want to go on the kind of family vacations that will be remembered for a lifetime.  Stay in luxurious, cool places where we feel relaxed from head to toe.  Just the thought of the smell of our current favorite resort makes me smile and take a deep relaxing breath.  I want my husband, and I to lay comfortably in the sun next to one another by a pool or on the beach and have food and drinks brought to us without a care in the world. For me, these privileges allow me to be present in the moment to enjoy all the fun my children are having. 

An herbal tea motivates me or a good cup of coffee. 

Reading personal development books inspires me to be the best version of myself.  To get to know what truly makes me happy, what makes me, me, what doesn't serve me well, and why I might feel nervous or anxious in certain circumstances.  Learning how to give myself grace during difficult seasons or moments.  Allowing myself to feel emotions and connect to them about past tragedies I've overcome.

The love of dogs and their unconditional love inspires me to love whole heartedly no matter what obstacles we face.  Or the love my young children give me.  I know that they truly feel like they couldn't live without me in their lives.  I know this because I too felt that sort of love for my own mother.  Just her presence made the world feel safe.  Her hug could ease a thousand worries, and her smell was home.  These things inspire me because I want the people, I love to know I loved them unconditionally.  I want them to remember the way I made them feel, I want them to say they felt like they could be themselves in my presence.  I want my children to feel like they can tell me anything and know nothing they ever say or do could make me love them any less.

Music inspires me.  Good written lyrics can make me remember feelings I felt in the past even if it's something that I haven't even thought about since I was in that moment.  Or maybe I didn't even realize in the moment I was feeling that way until I relate it to the song I am listening to.  Or maybe I am feeling weak, a good song can really bring back my fight.  Put some sense into me and set me back on my feet.

Happy puppy.

What Makes You Rage?

Rage can be a tumultuous emotion that surfaces when we witness injustices or frustrations. For me, the thought of a parent not giving their child their all makes me rage.  I don't understand how you could bring a baby, your baby into this world and after one look at them decide there was anything more important in this life than them.  Babies are true miracles on earth.  They are so fragile and everything in your body instinctually wants to nourish and protect them.  The love I have for my children was not a choice, I am so deeply connected, bonded to them.  I do everything in my power to see them happy, and flourishing.  I feel such a sense of success when I get to give them what they want or even more to see them accomplish something they want on their own.

I admittedly also feel a very strong sense of rage when a spouse doesn't want to allow or even just doesn't encourage the other spouse to live a fulfilling life of their own outside of the home.  While I understand that raising your children and keeping a home is no small undertaking, I can't help but feel like there has to be something more that each and every woman/person wants to do or pursue in their lives.  When the children leave the home is what's left of your time in life enough time to just get started?  Perhaps it is, but will you know how to start, will you have had enough outside experience to have a passion for something?  Which begs the question what experiences in our life push us to want for more.  Because for me, it's been the combination of childhood, lessons learned from my young adult life, entering the workforce in corporate America where I have learned so much and acquired a great deal of skills.  It's brought me up to this point in my life where I now am feeling like my skill level is well rounded enough that I think I can create something on my own using what I know and also understanding what I want to change.  Bottom line, we all need to encourage one another to try every and anything we can. Life is short and no one wants to wonder "what if."

Bad drivers also make me rage.  I can go from singing songs in the car to screaming at someone in no time flat… it's wild.

A sleeping baby.

What Makes You Laugh So Hard You Cry?

Laughter is a delightful remedy, one that binds us together and eases our burdens. My sons laugh can ease any burden I might have. He gets soo tickled by things that he laughs with his whole body.  He has done this from day 1.  His laugh makes me crack up in a way only it can.  Doesn't even matter why he's laughing, once he's cracking up so am I.  And it's one of those deep stomach cramping kinds of laughing, with tears rolling down my cheeks and yes it can cause me to even snort.

Comedy theater showcasing performances that bring laughter to life.

What Makes You Feel Empowered?

My supportive husband makes me feel empowered.  I don't need his support to be empowered but man oh man when he stands tall beside me, I feel unstoppable.  My children, particularly my daughter make me feel empowered.  I want to be in touch with myself enough to be able to relate to her and help her navigate what is to come in her life.  Not because I don't want her to learn the world on her own accord, actually just the opposite.  I want her to feel empowered to have her own experiences and lessons.  But if I have never assessed the things I have been through enough to understand how they have impacted me and my behaviors today then I can't give her rich feedback if she has questions.  I can't understand where she is coming from or why she has new feelings she's never felt if I don't understand why I have my own feelings.  I can't tell her it will all be alright if I don't know how to help her get to a place that is healthy and stable.  I want her to understand her limits as well as her strengths and navigate her life accordingly.  Being a woman doesn't have to hold her back if she respects and understands her limitations and leverages her strengths.

Accomplishment makes me feel empowered.  And accomplishment doesn't have to mean recognition or "success".  Accomplishment can just simply be "I did that", something you set out to do and you did it is empowering.  Not accomplishing is humbling but also necessary to experience in order to understand why achieving is so empowering.

Your Reflection Space

In this section, I want to invite you to engage more actively. Think about each question posed. Jot down your answers or discuss them with a friend. Creating space for such reflections not only fosters self-awareness but also helps cultivate deeper connections with others.

What Do You Fear Most?

My biggest fear is not being alive to see my family grow up, not being here to meet and enjoy my grandchildren.  I fear that my children's spouses won't like or love me and that they shut me out or keep me at arm's length.  I fear losing my health and having to burden people I love with caring for me.  I fear that my children will feel the loss and tragedy that I have felt losing my mother or having to live with the hole I know I have in my life without her here.  I fear that my husband and children don't know how much I absolutely adore them.  That until I had them I had never experienced what a full life felt like.  The joy, stability and sense of safety that a happy loving household provides is so profound. 

I fear that my children don't live their lives loving one another the way they love and support each other today. 

A family photo.

Taking Action on Your Reflections

Life questions, while deeply personal, can foster significant growth when we reflect on them. Use your insights as tools for action. Consider setting aside a few moments each week to re-evaluate your responses.

1. Journal your reflections: Write down your thoughts to track your growth.

2. Share your insights: Discuss them with trusted friends—verbalizing our reflections can deepen our understanding.

3. Act on your answers: Set actionable goals based on what inspires or empowers you.

   
   

Your journey through these questions is just as essential as the answers themselves. Embrace this opportunity for personal exploration and growth.

In the pursuit of personal clarity, I encourage you to explore questions that resonate with your soul. Whether it’s identifying your sources of inspiration or confronting your fears, every step taken towards introspection is a step towards a more fulfilled and authentic life.

Reflect, act, and share your experiences. This journey is yours—so embrace it!

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