“Wait, What?” – 5 Essential Life Questions #Beloved
“Wait, What?” – 5 Essential Life Questions
In a Harvard School of Education graduation commencement speech, Dean James Ryan claims that if you get into the habit of asking these five questions you will be both successful and happy:
Question 1: “Wait, what?” – Asking for clarification. Use this question before making a decision. Make sure you understand an idea before you go forward with the decision. “Wait” is a good reminder to slow down.
Question 2: “I wonder why…” and “I wonder if…” – Keeps you curious and keeps you thinking about how to improve.
Question 3: “Couldn’t we at least...” - Helps you get unstuck or started.
Question 4: “How can I help?” - Offering help to others while respecting the dignity and wisdom of the person you are making the offer to.
Question 5: “What truly matters?” and “What truly matters to me?” – This question forces you to get to the heart of life - your values, your beliefs, and your goals.
Bonus Question: “And did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?” - If you regularly ask yourself the top 5 questions you will be able to say, “I did”.
During the commencement speech Dean Ryan shares the poem, Late Fragment, which is the foundation for the bonus question.
Late Fragment
by Raymond Carver
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did. And what did you want?
To call myself beloved,
to feel myself beloved on the earth.
Dean Ryan closes with “…schools, and indeed the world, would be better places if students didn’t simply perform well but also felt beloved. Beloved by their teachers and also their classmates.”
As I enter 2017, I am struck with the realization I have many decisions to make - both big and small. The five essential questions will be my daily guide and viewing Dean James Ryan’s commencement speech will be a great way to start and end each week.