Waiting for better weather

If it's raining, you might postpone your outdoor chores. There's no need to get drenched, because a clear day will come soon enough. Similarly, most of us have things we intend to do but keep putting off, not because of the weather, but because of other external factors that we hope are going to become more favorable. What is one of those things that you've been putting off? And what would be the ideal set of circumstances that would convince you to stop delaying and start taking action?

This week's theme is ideal circumstances.

Ideal home town

Based on your impressions of every place you've ever visited, along with what you've heard about every other place in the world, what is the one place where you think you might best fit in with the local population?

This week's theme is ideal circumstances.

Ideal circumstances

What long-frustrated goal of yours could be achieved if you only had the ideal setting for working towards that goal? What would that ideal setting look like? What are the key differences between that ideal setting and your current circumstance — the specific things that hold you back?

This week's theme is ideal circumstances.

Tell us a story: stubborn

What was one time when you wouldn't accept defeat — when you kept trying again, after any reasonable person would have given up?

Trivia quiz

How many of the following five trivia items do you happen to know or remember? (If you have to ask someone or look up the answer, it doesn't count.)

• On what day of the week were you born?
• Did your parent's have anyone specific in mind when they picked your first name? If so, who was it?
  
• What was the location of your parents' wedding?
  
• What were you paid at your first job?
• What national story was in the news on your 15th birthday?
  

Blessed disappointments

Some things that seem disappointing at the time turn out to be blessings, because they put you on a path to something even better. What is one example where you can honestly say you're grateful that you didn't get what you wanted at the time?

This week's theme is gratitude.

The customary gesture of appreciation

In the United States, today is Thanksgiving, a traditional holiday of gratitude. What are some of your personal habits and traditions for expressing gratitude? Are there occasions when you must give a think-you gift or send a card? Are there times when things would feel unfinished if you didn't say the appropriate thank-you to the right person?

This week's theme is gratitude.

Thanks, [insert name here] -- you're the best!

When people thank you for something you've done, it sometimes feels kind of empty, and other times extremely meaningful. What makes the difference that gives some expressions of gratitude more impact than others?

This week's theme is gratitude.

Good things

Today, keep your eyes open for the little things that make your day better or easier, things that you could easily take for granted. What are some of the helpful or beautiful things in your life that you sometimes forget to appreciate?

This week's theme is gratitude.

Gratitude

Think of the times when you've expressed your gratitude to someone. What is your most typical way of showing someone that you feel grateful: in spoken words, in written words, in gifts, or in returned favors?

This week's theme is gratitude.

Tell us a story: trying to help

Tell us a story about a time when you volunteered to help, but eventually felt that your time and efforts were going to waste.

The written word

How has new technology affected your reading habits? With so much information available online, are you reading fewer books, newspapers, and magazines than you did a few years ago?

Now it's your turn

You don't always recognize a turning point when it happens. What is a recent event that might represent a significant turning point for you, even if it's too soon to know for sure?

This week's theme is turning points.

Health trend

In the last few years, what has been the biggest trend (for better or worse) in your personal health and well-being? If you had to pick a single event to mark that period of change, what would it be?

This week's theme is turning points.

New to old

Think of something that you acquired when it was brand new, something that is now old. Was there a specific point when you stopped thinking of it as new, or started thinking of it as old?

This week's theme is turning points.

Turning back around

Think about an important relationship of yours that seemed to be falling apart but that somehow got back onto a solid footing. What was the pivotal moment that seemed to steer things onto a happier course?

This week's theme is turning points.

Turning point

Even when change is slow, you can often pick a moment — the turning point — that marks the boundary between the old and the new. Thinking about all the big changes in the course of your life, what is probably your most significant turning point?

This week's theme is turning points.

Tell us a story: new you

Tell us about the time you surprised everybody by showing up with a new and different look.

Things are looking up

What recent event or bit of news made you feel more hopeful about the future?

Worth 100 failures

What is one skill that you would definitely set out to learn, if you knew for sure that you would master it after only 100 failed attempts along the way?

This week's theme is trial and error.

Safety net

Some mistakes are too costly. That's why astronauts and surgeons use simulators to practice and perfect their actions before they take on the real thing. What is something that you learned to do in a safe but not-quite-real practice environment?

This week's theme is trial and error.

Better together

Trial-and-error learning can go twice as fast if you do it together with someone else. Who was your partner in exploration as you boldly entered the unknown of something that you both wanted to learn?

This week's theme is trial and error.

Self-taught

What is one significant skill that you learned on your own, without any formal training?

This week's theme is trial and error.

Trial and error

Culinary history is full of stories of a chef ruining the recipe — and accidentally creating something new and better. Similar stories decorate the history of science and engineering and other fields. What was one time that you discovered or accomplished something by accident, while you were trying to do something else?

This week's theme is trial and error.

Tell us a story: I love opera

What was one cultural event that you attended reluctantly and only because someone dragged you along, but you found that you enjoyed it anyway?

Fun

What is something that you always enjoy but haven't done for quite a while?

Self-control

We try to get things under control, but, paradoxically, one thing we can't fully control is our own behavior. What is one area where you repeatedly don't do what you planned to do — or do what you planned not to do?

This week's theme is control.

Working at cross purposes

When you're trying to get things under control, it's easy to come into conflict with someone else who's also trying to get things under control, but in a slightly different way. Where does this kind of conflict come up most often for you: at home, at work, or in some other part of your life?

This week's theme is control.

The control room

Behind the wheel of a car... holding a computer mouse... entering a store with credit card in hand. What is the place in your life where you feel most strongly that you are in control? Where do you have the freedom to choose, the power to take action, and no obstacles in your way?

This week's theme is control.

Your first reaction

Some people seek out advice. Some try to research and analyze the situation. Some complain loudly to whoever seems to be in charge. What is the tactic that you typically turn to first when things slip out of control?

This week's theme is control.