Sometimes life knocks you down and you end up feeling depressed, challenged, overwhelmed, or stressed. You think you will face that situation forever and things will never change. Questions are powerful tools that allow you to access the deepest levels of your consciousness. Here are ten questions to ask yourself in order to recover your happiness and create the life you desire and deserve.

1. What would you do if you were not afraid?

Fear is a useful feeling because it warns us and keeps us aware, but sometimes it takes over and prevents us from doing things. If you feel stuck, uncertain and you don’t know which step to take, ask yourself: "What would I do if I were not afraid?" The answer is exactly what you need to do.

2. Are you wasting time doing things that don’t matter to you?

When we feel lost, it’s because we are not following our internal compass and we are just going with the flow. Stop for a minute, take a deep breath and ask yourself: "Am I doing what I really want to do or am I wasting time doing things that don’t interest me?" Time will not come back – once it’s gone, it’s gone. Think wisely about how you spend your time.

3. Do you want to be right, or happy?

Don’t live in conflict. Two people who have different opinions might both be right. From some point of view, everybody is right. Does it make sense to argue with people just for the sake of being vindicated?

4. What can you learn from my mistakes?

Everybody makes mistakes and you should be happy when it happens to you. Mistakes are lessons to learn. They are necessary for understanding what needs to be changed and what can be improved. If we didn’t make mistakes, how could we make progress and evolve? Instead of judging yourself for something you did wrong, ask yourself: "What can I learn from this situation? What do I need to do differently?"

5. What is the message that life is trying to communicate to you?

Sometimes life is hard, complicated, and cruel, but you know, life always works for us, not against us. Whatever it happens is the necessary step to get the next level; everything makes us grow and become more aware. Nothing is ever a punishment. Whatever you have to deal with, ask yourself: "What is the message that life is trying to communicate to me? What’s happening for me?"

6. What makes you smile?

Smiling is so simple, but so powerful. It releases all tensions, makes you feel comfortable, and makes the people around you feel appreciated. It’s true that we face obstacles along the way, but most of the time, we make them bigger than they are. Smiling makes life light!

7. What are you grateful for?

Happy people don’t have the best, they just make the best out of what they have. Very often we take things for granted; we forget to appreciate the gifts that life gives us. Gratitude is a boost for happiness. When we express our gratitude, we breathe in the fact that life that is happening around us. We are happy and we make people around us happy too.

8. Who or what do you need to forgive?

Forgiving is gift you give to yourself. It doesn’t mean pretending that nothing happened. It means realizing that something did actually happen, and it hurt you, but releasing that heavy burden. Why carrying it with you? What’s the point of hurting yourself? You cannot embrace the new if you keep getting stuck in the past. Forgiving means giving yourself the permission to move on with your life and making room in your heart for new amazing experiences.

9. What’s your dream?

Dreams express your deepest values, what you believe in; they say who you are. It’s important to daydream, to visualize what you would like to give to this world and access your potential. If you give up on your dreams, you give up on living.

10. What’s your calling?

When we feel depressed, it’s because we are too much focused on ourselves. Happiness comes from helping other people. Get rid of yourself, so to speak, and focus on what you can do in the world to help other people. You will feel much lighter. What’s your calling? How can you use your unique talents to contribute to the world?