Reference no: EM13381434

Questions from the Zen and the Art of Making a Living worksheets:

Your vision for the world, nation, or community you would like to live in:

What insights do these answers give me about the direction I would like my life to take?

As a child, what did you most want to give to the world?

As a child, what situation in the world most hurt, disturbed, or upset you? What did you want to do about it?

When you were a child, what did you  most love to do?

If you could wave a magic wand, and the world would instantly be the way you want it to be, how would it be different

What insights do the answers to these questions give you?

What situation in the world, in your nation, or in your community do you notice yourself complaining about the most? "Somebody really ought to do something about..."?

How could you ultimately be most effective in working on these problems? "If I were to take responsibility to do something about this, I would"

What elements of human suffering speak to your heart?

After reviewing what you have written above, ask yourself "What insights do my answers give me about the direction I would like my life to take?

Now imagine yourself on your deathbed. Imagine that you feel at peace with the world and ready to pass on. You are surrounded by your friends and family. You feel as though you have completed or accomplished what you came here to do in this life. What do you consider to have been your most important accomplishments?

More than anything, what do you want the message of your life to have been when all is said and done? How could you best exemplify this?

Your philosophy of life: If you could share one bit of wisdom with the whole world, what would it be?

Is there anything you would be willing to put it all on the line for? If so, what?

What has been the most important lesson you have learned in your life? Why was it the most important?

Briefly, what is the basic philosophy of your life?

Personal bill of rights and responsibilities: what you will and will not tolerate: of yourself and others

Imagine that you have been told you have 5 years to live. In terms of your work life, what is it that you most want to accomplish in your reminding years?

Instant recall:

Recall times when you have been most creative: These are times when you created something (an event, a thing, a product, a system)

Recall times when you have been most committed. These are times when you were deeply involved, emotionally co0mmitted, and determined to persist in spite of all obstacles

Recall times when you were most decisive. These are times when yo knew exactly what to do. You know you were right, and you acted deliberately and confidently, perhaps even in spite of the doubt and objections of others

Recall a time when everyone said you couldn't do it, but you knew you could, and you did it anyway. What was it? How did it feel?

Recall times when you have been so absorbed in what you were doing that you hardly noticed the time. What were you doing?

What do you consider the greatest accomplishments of your life? Why?

What is the most exciting thing you have done in your life? Why?

When have you taken the strongest stand in your life? What were you standing for?

Review your answers to the question above with a view toward what they might suggest to you about your life's work. Look for patterns, redundancies, events that you repeatedly recalled. What insights do you answers suggest?

Look at the list of values on page 196 from Zen and the Art of Making a Living worksheets.. Put a check in front of those that are most important to you. Check no more than ten (you can also look at the values list from your Nonviolent Communication worksheets you received).

Which values do most characterize your life?

Overall, which values are most important to you in your life?

Prioritize your top values and list them below.

Then, define each of these values in terms of its significance and meaning to you:

Your mission statement: Review all your answers above, then write your mission statement: "What am I here to do on this earth"

Now review what you have written, and write a condensed Mission statement: State the mission of your life in no more than two sentences:

Tapping into what you enjoy:

What do you enjoy most about your current work? (even if you dislike most of it, there may be one feature that you enjoy)

What do you most enjoy doing when you're not working (Hobbies, recreational interests, etc.)

What do you most enjoy learning about?

What do you most enjoy making (What do you enjoy as a beginning-to-end process?)

If you were financially independent and money was not a factor, what kind of work would you do?

Take the talent quiz (p. 224 from the handout Zen and the Art of Making a Living): Rank each of the following talents on a scale to one to ten

Take the personal strength quiz (p. 228 on the handout): What are your five strongest character traits or personal qualities? Would you add any to the list in the worksheet that are more descriptive of you?