Free your mind!

I've had this website bookmarked for ages I just haven't had the time to sit down and plan the answers to some of these thought provoking questions.

But now is the perfect time, it is raining outside, I'm curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea.

Here are my answers and I would really encourage you to answer them too.

"Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer"

1. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
   I would be a lot, lot younger than I actually am. I see these stylish women who are the same age as me and I just feel so much more immature than them. I still feel like the insecure 16 year old I once was. 
   
   
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
   Definitely never trying - some of my biggest lessons in life have been from failing. If I had never tried, it would still be playing on my mind, I would still be wondering if I could have achieved those things. I don't even look back and regret things - I try to see the good in situations. Even if failing has be awful, hard and embarrassing at the time I have confidence that I can look back in a month or a years time and see why it happened like it did.
   
   
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?
   Imagination is a huge part - we have so many opportunities and our world is such a vibrant place that sometimes you just have a feeling you will like something although you have never experienced it. At the same time life is about making compromises. Life can't always go your way. To sustain relationships we sometimes have to do things we don't like. And sometimes we can surprise ourselves by gaining insight, knowledge or experience from an activity we didn't want to do in the first place. Yes, life is short but we need to make the most of it.
   
   
4. When it's all said and done, will you have said more than you've done?
   This is such a hard question to answer honestly. Everyone wants to believe that they have done more but I think honestly I will have said more. We make so many false promises to people like "let's catch up over coffee" or "you should really come over for dinner" and how often do these plans actually come together?
   
   
5. What is the one thing you'd most like to change about the world?
   Hate - everyone one seems to be full of it. Whether it is only a small annoyance like a tourist standing on the left of the tube escalator we still get annoyed so easily. I would love the world to be a more positive place, with all of us seeing the good in things and people rather than the bad.
   
   
6. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
   It would be impossible to say 100%. As a Christian I try to put all my trust in Christ and so if you are looking from this perspective then we have little control in the course of our life because a perfect plan has been set out for us. But I also believe that as humans we alter this, mainly negatively. At school or simply growing up we are influenced by our peers, our family, our friends or just society. Emphasis is put on what is seen as important and too often we bow to the pressures around us. I am happy with where I am in my life. I love my family and friends, my university course, the city I live but multiple factors have controlled these outcomes.
   
   
7. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What is holding you back?
   Which one to pick? A massive thing I want to do it to take photography classes. I love looking at photos taken by friends and I would love to be able to have the skill that they do. I'm just afraid that I wouldn't be very good!
   
   
8. Do you remember that time five years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
   Of course it doesn't. I remember going through secondary school and having so many fights with friends and I look back now and can't remember why any of them started in the first place. It has been a valuable lesson I've learnt over the years but it was crucial to keep life in perspective and to not get overly upset about small, insignificant things. Experiences like these has led to the development of a thick skin - my family is not overly sensitive and we are always cracking jokes about each other. I've really valued these experiences, I feel I can laugh at myself. The negative is that sometimes I don't show emotion very well and can come across as uncaring. It is about getting the balance right!
   
   
9. In five years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before? Or the day before that?
   Normally I would say no, but I'm trying to change that. Getting into a routine, in my view, is a good thing. It provides me with a benchmark to reach my goals, even if it is just doing reading for my course or something really minor. It is so easy though for each of these days to just roll into one. Part of the reason I started a blog in the first place was so that I could encapsulate these memories and not forget what I've done on a daily basis. I now permanently keep my camera in my bag - to snap those small but important memories so that I don't forget what has happened. 
   
   
10. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting other make them for you?
    This term has been full of decision making. I graduate in the summer and I need to make a number of decisions regarding my future. My dear friend Jasmine and I always moan that we wish we could fast forward five years to when we are settled down and have a clear idea of life path. Sadly, that isn't the case. I am making these decisions for myself and no-one else is making them. But I have important relationships in my life which impact the decisions I make. Maybe if I was single and didn't care what my family thought of my life then my decisions would be different. I have other people to consider - I want to make my parents proud, I want to make the best decisions so that I make the most of certain opportunities. The decisions I make will be mine 100% but they will be influenced by the things that matter the most - I don't see this as a compromise, I see it as shaping my future.

There were a huge 50 questions on this website and I've only answered a random 10. Didn't want this post to drag on for an eternity.

Any thoughts then please leave a comment.