I remember the first time I came across Socrates’ famous line, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
I was busy with everything life threw my way. It seemed like a powerful thought, but I didn’t stop to reflect on what it meant for me personally. After all, isn’t life just about pushing through, doing the best you can, and hoping it all turns out well?
But this quote kept resurfacing. I’d see it in books or hear it in conversations, and it began to stir something in me. It wasn’t until my 30s, when I had what I would describe as a midlife crisis, that Socrates’ words really hit me. I had everything going for me—things looked good on the outside—but I felt lost. I couldn’t pinpoint what was missing, but I knew something was.
Life on Autopilot
There was a time when I was living life on autopilot. Everything seemed fine on the surface. I had a career I enjoyed and was ticking all the boxes, but deep down, there was this subtle nagging—a sense that something was missing. I wasn’t unhappy, but I wasn’t fully alive either.
Have you ever felt that?
Like you’re going through the motions, but not really present in your own life?
That’s when I realized I had never truly taken the time to examine my life. I was so busy with the day-to-day that I hadn’t stopped to ask myself, “Is this who I came here to be? Am I doing what I’ve been called to do?”
The Moment of Reflection
There was one moment that really pushed me into this self-reflection. I was in the middle of a yoga practice—one of those days when my mind wouldn’t stop racing. Suddenly, the thought popped into my head: “Is this it? Is this what I’m meant to be doing?”
It was a simple question, but it hit me hard. I realized I hadn’t been living with intention. I had been letting life happen to me rather than actively creating the life I wanted. I hadn’t asked myself the deeper questions: What do I really want? What brings me joy? What’s my purpose?
That moment led me to take a step back and really examine my life—not in a judgmental way, but in a curious, open way. I started asking myself questions that I had avoided for years. Questions like:
What do I value most?
What lights me up?
Am I showing up as the person I want to be in the world?
The Power of Self-Reflection
What I discovered is that self-reflection isn’t about beating yourself up or criticizing where you are. It’s about being honest with yourself, recognizing where you’re at, and then making conscious choices about where you want to go. It’s about aligning your actions with your values and your purpose.
Socrates wasn’t telling us we need to have all the answers.
He was inviting us to ask the important questions. And when you do that, you start to live a life that’s examined—a life that has depth and meaning.
Am I Doing What I’ve Been Called to Do?
One of the most powerful questions that came out of my reflection was: Am I doing what I’ve been called to do? It’s a heavy question because it forces you to confront whether you’re living in alignment with your deepest desires and talents.
For me, I realized that while I loved what I was doing, there were parts of me I hadn’t fully expressed. There were dreams I had set aside, thinking I didn’t have the time or energy to pursue them. But those dreams—those callings—never really go away. They sit quietly in the background, waiting for you to pay attention.
So I made a commitment to myself: I was going to stop living on autopilot. I was going to start making choices that reflected who I truly was and what I wanted to contribute to the world. And it wasn’t easy. It meant letting go of old habits, rethinking my priorities, and, most importantly, taking action on the things that mattered most to me.
A Call to Self-Examination
If you’re reading this and you feel even a small tug in your heart, maybe it’s time to ask yourself the same questions.
Is this who you came here to be? Are you living your life with intention, or are you letting life happen to you?
I’m not saying you need to have it all figured out. None of us do. But what I’ve learned is that living an examined life isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being willing to ask the questions and to keep showing up, even when the answers aren’t clear.
So I invite you to take a moment today and reflect on your life.
What’s working? What isn’t? What’s calling to you that you’ve been ignoring? And most importantly, are you living as the person you want to be?
Final Thoughts
Socrates was right—an unexamined life may not be worth living. But the good news is, it’s never too late to start examining your life. The more you reflect, the more aligned your life becomes with your purpose and your joy. And that’s where real fulfillment begins.
“Is this who I came here to be? Am I doing what I’ve been called to do?”
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