Here is the complete transcript of the podcast
Welcome back to Success with Srini. Today on the podcast, I’m going to extend my thoughts from yesterday, which was about asking questions. And I said, there are six tangible benefits of asking questions. As a result of asking questions, we learn more, we become more observant, we engage in critical thinking, we build confidence, and we also become better communicators. That was the message from yesterday. So let’s take this discussion on questions and apply them to different parts of our life, and what kind of questions we need to ask in different aspects of life. Now, when we talk about different aspects of life, there are many, some people said that are eight aspects of life that we constantly have to engage in different eight different categories of life. Some said Rod was more than eight. Some have said there are 24 categories, different philosophers, different discussions, different ways to describe all of this. But here are the three areas that I like to focus on.
The first is relationships. The second is a career. Third, is other areas of life. So I kind of take everything else and put it in other categories. So let’s talk about relationships for a second. So the question you have to keep asking yourself all the time has what kind of relationship do I have with myself? My relationship with myself? Is it improving? This is a deep question. And listen to this podcast or read books or watch good motivational, inspirational videos, all that is an act of self-exploration. That’s the start doing all that that means without you being becoming deliberate, you are improving your relationship with yourself, the pursuit is to improve your relationship, whether you know it or not, with yourself starts with that, then comes the question. In the relationships I’m in and with people around me, can I connect with the people around me in a deep manner rather than at a superficial level, most people do that they have surface discussions. But they never really work hard enough to build stronger bonds. A large part of that is because of how you relate to your own self. And when we do not connect with people at a deeper level, then it comes across as if we are selfish, we are self-centered, we are not really we are for ourselves, we are not for them. And that’s not the position that you want to be in.
So apart, you could be completely correct. Your intentions could be awesome, and you have a good heart, you truly mean good for others. But then just because you cannot create that depth in the relationships, you may be coming across as if you are superficial. And then people may perceive you to be weak. You don’t wanna do that. So you got to ask questions. In every specific relationship you have, with your boss, with your significant other with your friend, with your parents, with your children, you need to ask, are you connecting more deeply? Then, in relationships, you have a fundamental responsibility to grow others. If others are not growing, whoever you’re related to. If they are not growing, that means they are shrinking. There is nothing called a static state in life. Either you are progressing, or you’re regressing. So there is no static patient, people don’t get a patient stay there in any aspect of life. For example, today, if you don’t make money, that means your net worth is not the same. It’s not static. Because everything in the world is changing. So your net worth might have moved up or might have gone down. It is not static at any point in time. From the time I started this podcast, by the time I’m gonna end the podcast, your network might have changed.
So a question you got to ask yourself is am I fostering growth in people around me? And you cannot force the growth in others unless you are also growing? This is funny, I can’t come and do this podcast and pretend son would happen cannot happen. Because if I do, you could read through, I’m going to come across you can, you’ll figure it out. And I can’t have a superficial relationship with you. And every podcast episode is nothing but a pursuit to deepen this connection. So these are some questions you have to ask yourself, let’s talk about your carrier for a second, this is a significant part because we spend a lot of time and your job and your business, you know, all that, that we do. The first and foremost is a test, you got to be loving that which you do, how hard it is for me to do this podcast. If I don’t love this though, it’s gonna be hard. I tell you, I’ve given up multiple times in the past. And I take this podcast in itself as an example, because this is the only mirror to you, I don’t know you never met you. Maybe I may have met you. But then this is the only mirror this is the only tunnel, there’s only passes through which I can see you, or hear you or talk to you. At least talk to you can’t hear you can’t see you. But I can envision you through this. So I better love this. If not, it’s a failed endeavor, it’s a wrong activity. It’s an incorrect engagement. So here’s what I want you to do, I want you to ask yourself a deep question, which is, Do I really like doing what I do? Or whatever I’m doing right now? If the answer is no, then change it. Because this is a happiness game. You’re not happy doing what you’re doing? Leave? Cannot worth it.
Then another question you got to ask is How can I make a career out of what I’m what I love? See, people dislike their jobs, but they have other passions for them. They have other desires in them, they have other inclinations in them. Let’s take the word passion for a second, you are passionate about something. But you really don’t know whether you can make a career out of it. I have many passions myself. And I never really explored making a career out of those passions. Possible. Yes. Another subnet Yes, can I do it? Maybe I have not done it. But if you’re unhappy doing what you’re doing today, and that is not your passion, your job is to explore the possibility of turning your passions into a career, or something from which you can derive the pleasure of making money. Otherwise, you’ll continue to do what you’re doing. That is completely irrelevant, is not in line with your self-esteem. And what’s the point of doing it. Now, I’ve lost my voice talking about this in multiple consultations on air in my seminars and workshops, for lack of a better way to put this, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates were together, I believe at a conference at the university. Warren Buffett said something profound. And pardon me for saying this year. He said it’s just like if you work for 20 years happily or without knowing who you are and what your true identities are? And how do you align your identity to the work that you do? And you have your existing in some level of uncertainty, but let you know you’re suffering. And you know that you could have fixed it, but you choose not to because there is some payoff, some money coming in something. It’s just like, trying to defer sex to an older age. And if that video is there on YouTube, it’s funny if you seriously think about it, with people who keep on saying they want to defer happiness, why defer happiness? This is happiness me. Look at the resume that you have asked questions about. Is it a true reflection of who you are? Can the outlines of that resume be changed? Can you redraw that resume to reflect who you want to be? And if you can, what is the cost of doing it? Ask those questions. Some other questions you got to ask yourself, Is your life meaningful?
That means are you living a meaningful life? That means you wake up in the morning you are able to attach meaning to things that you do or is how flawed bad programming from childhood for some things that you observe here and there. And that’s how you define your life. And that’s how you define your activities. That’s how you define your day-to-day proceedings. totally incorrect. But again, there is more to this, today’s Sunday. So I just want to be more cautious here. I’m going to stop here. I mean, I, you can see, I’m totally into this, I can expand this conversation big. But then I want to do I want to leave you with homework to do if you have some time today, which is, I want you to look up, Socrates, and the Socratic method of asking questions to lead a meaningful life. You know, how Socrates spent his life and tired life asking questions because he thought that true enlightenment happens when you asked questions and Two good questions. He was moving on the streets asking questions to such a point that he got, I think prosecuted by the king for asking questions. Not sure I think he did. I remember reading it. There are so many layers of questions you can ask. But I want you to start asking some basic questions. Even if you ask one or two or three questions a day across one or two categories of your life, you are going to improve your life. Way beyond your imagination. If you owed a period of time, maybe over a period of the next 30 60 90 days. Unbelievable what to do to you.
Hopefully, this motivates you. Hopefully, this inspires you. If you like today’s podcast episode, do me a favor. Share it with your friends and family. Write a review. Whichever app you have, every app has a place for you to write a review. Trust me, there is and you have a question, you know how to reach me. So that’s all for now. Wherever you are, take care and I will talk to you early and bright tomorrow morning and catch you on a Monday with my best.
Thank you