🧠 Age-Old Questions – Revisiting My 12 Favorite Problems

Hi friend,

In 2022, I attended Write of Passage by David Perell, one of the most well-known online writing programs.

One of the first exercises we did was to list 12 questions or challenges that we are constantly pondering.

Essentially, these are the big questions that shape our thoughts, decisions, and pursuits.

I wrote mine down on March 7, 2022.

Today, I stumbled upon them again. And after two years, I realized something:
🚀 The questions haven’t changed much.
🔄 But the way I think about them has evolved.

📜 My 12 Favorite Problems (as written in 2022)

1️⃣ How can I become a better husband and father and have more quality time with my wife and two daughters?
2️⃣ How can I be more effective and get things done, especially at work?
3️⃣ How can I balance my work, family life, and all the other responsibilities and hobbies that I have?
4️⃣ How can I write consistently and make more dedicated time for it?
5️⃣ How can I work more towards my long-term goals instead of chasing urgent tasks and instant gratification?
6️⃣ How can I have the most impactful life?
7️⃣ What career should I pursue to make the biggest and most effective impact?
8️⃣ How can I inspire people to live their best life and contribute to society?
9️⃣ How can I devote more time to learning and improving myself without sacrificing time with my family?
🔟 How can I create more time for writing without sacrificing my sleep?
1️⃣1️⃣ How can I stop pursuing too many goals at once and instead focus on the most important ones to create high-quality outcomes?
1️⃣2️⃣ How can I be more mindful of my physical and mental well-being and live a healthier life?

🔄 Reflection – What’s Changed?

Reading these again, I see that most of these are still my core challenges.

The answers may shift, but the questions remain constant.

One difference, though? I have more awareness now.

📌 I understand that balance isn’t something you achieve once—it’s a continuous process.
📌 I see that progress is more about habits than sudden breakthroughs.
📌 I’ve also realized that priorities shift with life’s seasons.

🛑 Life Reminds Us of What Matters

Today, my younger daughter has been sick for the past few days. She was even worse when I got back in the afternoon.

I had plans:
❌ A meeting.
❌ A gym session.
❌ Hitting my daily steps goal.

I skipped all of them. And I don’t regret it.

Because as Suleiman the Magnificent said:
"The people think of wealth and power as the greatest fate, But in this world a spell of health is the best state."

or we can summarise it as “Health is Wealth.”

🏆 Wins for Today

✅ Prioritized family over productivity when it mattered most.
✅ Reflected on my long-term questions and challenges.
✅ Accepted that not every day needs to be "productive" to be meaningful.

📅 Plans for Tomorrow

📍 Get back on track with writing & movement.
📍 Catch up on important but non-urgent tasks.
📍 Continue reflecting on how I can better align my actions with my core questions.

🙏 What I’m Grateful For

✨ Having the freedom to prioritize my family.
✨ The reminder that health is everything.
✨ The chance to revisit questions that still shape my life.

✍️ Today's Atomic Essay

💬 Your Turn

What are the big questions you find yourself returning to again and again?

📩 Reply to this email or comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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