Every now and again it is good to step back from your daily routine and take a look at where you are and in what direction you are going.

This little exercise will help you make sure you are still on course.

A trip away will always give you the opportunity to gain a new perspective on your daily routines. There is nothing like getting away from your familiar surroundings for a while to help you to think clearly.

I recently had this opportunity and it was certainly good to be able to have some time to think clearly and re-evaluate many areas of my life.

Here are some questions I was considering. I am sharing these with you because I think that it is good for all of us to ask ourselves these questions from time to time. This will ensure that we stay on course.

Is what I am doing right now leading me in the direction I really want to go.
In other words, am I really fulfilling my destiny? You might be thinking: But I am not sure what my destiny is. How can I find that?

Your destiny is within you. When you are moving in the direction of that inner compass there is a satisfaction, a “knowing” that you are doing what you were born to do.

One good test is: Are you passionate about what you are doing?

Am I using my time in the most productive way?
We are creative beings, and being productive is a part of productivity.The more productive we are, the better we feel about ourselves and the world around us.

I had to admit that not every day was as productive as I would like it to be.

So I started looking for areas where I was perhaps getting bogged down with unnecessary details. (Yes I found some of those There were some things I would be eliminating from my schedule when I returned home.

How are the negative influences around me affecting me?
Now this a question that perhaps we need to ask ourselves regularly. Of course the ideal situation is to get rid of all negative influences around us. But that is not always possible.

For example: you may work with some negative folk, or need to deal with such people in business.

However if you and I are not careful some of these influences can “rub off” onto us. Have you ever noticed that? You may be mostly a very positive and cheerful person. Yet suddenly you find yourself speaking negative words, grumping a little and every getting upset over things that would not normally bother you.

What happened? Of course you might be facing some unusually difficult challenges in your life. But if that is not the case, perhaps some negativity has managed to rub off on you?

I wrote an article about this over on my blog Mindset for Living. (Decide How Daily Experiences Will Affect Your Mind)

There is more coming on topics around this subject too over on Mindset For Living

Do I have enough positive influences around me?
Now this is something we can control. Perhaps it is time to start extending your circle of friends and associates. Start reaching out to some highly motivated folk. If you cannot find them in your immediate sphere, try Twitter. There are masses of great folk there who will certainly inspire and motivate you.

Is my mind as active as it should be?
When life gets tough or even dull (it shouldn’t though) – we can tend to “switch off”

You might want to take a look at my articles about Coping or Conquering. It takes an active mind to conquer, while it is rather easy to drift along in a passive state when you are simply coping.

It is a good idea to write down some of your discoveries in your journal. And if you find some things in your life that need changing, don’t forget to take action!

P.S. You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kiwichamp