“I am an obscure and patient pearl-fisherman who dives into the deepest waters and comes up with empty hands and a blue face. Some fatal attraction draws me down into the abysses of thought, down into those innermost recesses which never cease to fascinate the strong. I shall spend my life gazing at the ocean of art, where others voyage or fight; and from time to time I’ll entertain myself by diving for those green and yellow shells that nobody will want. So I shall keep them for myself and cover the walls of my hut with them.” – Gustave Flaubert

The inner psychology of each person is entrancing and complex. Inside ourselves we can best discover who we are and what we hope to be, and by focusing and peering inward we can better understand our essential perspectives and values. Aldous Huxley once said, “Every person’s memory is their private literature.” Our mix of memories, beliefs, and personal memories offer many chains of personal imagery, impressions, and free intellectual wandering. With such a plethora of personal literature within ourselves people should stop and appreciate the essential qualities and personality they possess. In that vein, the following experiment requires nothing more than a little time and a commitment to introspection. How often do we take the time to reflect and really examine what we believe, what we want, and how we feel? On an afternoon maybe when the sun is just right, birds are chirping, and “trees are just the right height,” take some time to write and think about the following questions. If you are even more ambitious, why not even video log or write down your responses and do this again a year from now or many years later in the future. The questions below are some of the more important questions in life and can tell us a great deal about ourselves, perhaps more than we even wish to know:

Who am I? Who do I want to be? 

What do I believe? What is the meaning of life? 

How do I become the person I most want to be? 

What makes me the happiest? 

What is the most meaningful thing in the world to me? 

What does my ideal future look like? How do I really want to live? 

Why am I here on earth? What is my most valuable contribution? 

What do I want most out of life? Before I die I would like to…

Things I want to remember most…

Things I want people to remember me for…