Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Your adolescent self

Think about who you were as an adolescent. What are the biggest changes in your identity and personality between then and now? 

This week's theme is adolescence.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Adolescence

When you think about your adolescent years and the world that you found yourself in, what are the biggest differences between that environment and the environment you live in today?  What words would you pick to describe the character or flavor of the world around you in your teenage years?

This week's theme is adolescence.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Tell us a story: over too soon

Sometimes, things we share with other people — including, for example, clubs, TV shows, and regularly-scheduled community events — end sooner than we want them to, and our lives feel a little poorer without them.  What was one thing that you were particularly sorry to see come to an end?  Did you ever take personal action, for example, by stepping in as a volunteer, to keep something going longer? 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Try and try again

What is something where you tried and failed a few times before you finally got a good result?  Did you finally succeed by applying the lessons from your earlier attempts, or was it simply luck that brought you to a successful outcome? 

Friday, July 27, 2012

One step at a time

Could you walk from New York to Los Angeles?  It's simply too far to walk.  But if you spread that effort over ten years, you'd only have to put in one mile a day to walk the equivalent distance.  What are a few impossible things you might be able to accomplish if you made a small effort every day for ten years?

This week's theme is gradual change.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Evolution of taste

As with other things, your tastes and preferences can change gradually over a long period of time. What is one style, or food, or fashion that you used to be devoted to but now have completely lost interest in?  Or is there something that's taken the opposite trajectory, something that has gradually grown on you over time?

This week's theme is gradual change.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Quiet entrance

Not everything shows up with a bang and a flourish. What is one thing that slipped onto the stage almost unnoticed and gradually become more important and prominent in your life?

This week's theme is gradual change.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Faded away


What are some things that slowly disappeared from their previously important place in your life, even though you never made a conscious decision to leave them behind?

This week's theme is gradual change.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Gradual change

Sometimes change occurs gradually and over such a long period of time that you don't notice it until you stop to think about it.   What is something in your life that has changed a great deal, but very slowly?

This week's theme is gradual change.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Tell us a story: I can't believe they did that

What was one sudden turn of events that left you feeling disillusioned about someone you had respected?

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Better late than never

What new skill or useful fact did you learn this week — something you wish you had known years ago?

Friday, July 20, 2012

Evolving priorities

What are some things that you treat much less seriously than you used to? What are some things that you take more seriously now than ever before?

This week's theme is values.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Your parents' priorities

What is one thing that your father insisted that you always take seriously?
What is one thing that your mother insisted that you always take seriously?

This week's theme is values.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Out of place

In your life right now, what is one thing — something you do, or something you own — that you'll admit doesn't fit very well with your values?

This week's theme is values.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Walking the talk

Some people speak of specific values but don't follow those same values in their own behavior.  Among the people you know, who struggles with a mismatch between their words and their actions?  In your own life, what is one thing you believe in, even though you sometimes find it a challenge to put it into action?

This week's theme is values.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Values

Valuing something means treating it as important. The way we measure our values is by seeing what we actually do when two different things are in conflict and we have to choose one or the other.

What are some of the things that you make sure to get done even when you "don't have time for anything"?  

This week's theme is values.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Tell us a story: breaking the pattern

Tell us about a time when you deliberately defied a tradition or broke an established pattern in order to do something different.  What was the expected action, and what did you do instead?  What prompted you to want to change things?

Saturday, July 14, 2012

A little bit of help

What happened this week that you could count as a miracle, or a well-timed lucky break, or a surprise bit of help from an unexpected source?

Friday, July 13, 2012

That big thing right there

For all the attention we pay to shark attacks, for example, they are actually rare events that occupy a very small part of our lives.  What are some things in your life with the opposite profile — things that take up a lot of our time or occupy a lot of space, though we rarely talk about them or even pay attention to them?

This week's theme is your forgotten side.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Stale secrets

Many years ago, your family, or perhaps a close friend, tried to keep something hushed up because it was scandalous or sensitive at the time.  Now, years later, it's hard to remember why it ever seemed important, and no one even thinks about it anymore.  What was this private embarrassment that faded into obscurity? 

This week's theme is your forgotten side.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Forgotten and remembered

What event from your life hadn't crossed your mind for many years, until someone or something reminded you of it?

This week's theme is your forgotten side.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Another reason it's good to have friends

Sometime it takes a friend to bring out aspects of yourself that would otherwise remain forgotten.  Who are the people who have a knack for awakening the better and more interesting side of your personality?  Who is someone no longer in your life, someone you're sorry is gone because you miss who you were with that person around?

This week's theme is your forgotten side.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Your forgotten side

We all have hidden potential — invisible aspects of ourselves that lie dormant. Your forgotten capabilities can suddenly blossom when you come to a place or a relationship where they are made welcome.  What examples can you think of in your own life?  Do you know a language that no one around you speaks?  Is there a game you would want to play if only you had friends who were interested? 

This week's theme is your forgotten side.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Tell us a story: a little sport

What is the earliest sports game or athletic competition that you can remember participating in?  How old were you?  Was it an informal, casual game, or a serious competition with official scorekeepers? 

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Day of sevens

Where were you five years ago, on 7/7/07?  What was going on in your life on and around that date?  When you look back at that time, what is one thing that seemed important then and seems less important now? 

Friday, July 6, 2012

2012 gave us this

When something new is emerging, it's hard to tell whether it will quickly vanish or whether it will grow into a huge, long-lasting phenomenon.  What is something new this year that you guess will be forgotten by next year?  And what is one new thing that you predict will be still around and even bigger next year? 

This week's theme is midyear.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Taking stock

How are your plans for the year shaping up?  Do the goals that you set at the beginning of the year still make sense?  Which goals have you already changed?  Which are starting to look iffy?  And which of your goals for the year are still on track?

This week's theme is midyear.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

A door opened

What unexpected opportunity turned up in the first half of this year?  What might you do in the second half of the year to follow up on that opportunity?

This week's theme is midyear.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The year that changed everything

The year 2012 had a bit of advance buzz as a year to expect large-scale changes.  In your personal life, has 2012 turned out to be a year of change?  What large or small changes have affected your life in the first half of this year?

This week's theme is midyear.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Midyear 2012

With the year half over, it's a good time to take a look and see how 2012 is shaping up. 

What is this year's recurring theme? What makes 2012 different from other years? In particular, how is it different from 2011 for you? Could you sum up, in eight words or less, this year's unique flavor?

This week's theme is midyear.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Tell us a story: win some, lose some

What was the day when you had a major victory or a big step forward, and a significant setback or defeat on the same day? What happened? Were the two events related, or was it purely a coincidence that they fell at the same time?