questionnaire

This questionnaire is designed to begin a personal conversation concerning attentional abilities.  The basic idea is that there are a few things that we all benefit from being able to do with our attention: play, concentrate, intentionally relax, etc.  The better we are with our personal abilities, the happier, more successful, more inspired, and more satisfied we will be.  Furthermore, it is possible for almost anyone to improve their abilities once they recognize what they wish to improve and how it can help them.  This questionnaire is intended to provide a background for a conversation concerning how to recognize what skills can be improved and how they can be improved.  The basic idea is to compare where you feel like you actually are with different topics compared to where you'd like to be.  Based on how you respond, there are concrete, immediate steps you can take to make a difference in your life!

The scoring for the following 21 items is not incredibly simple, but it should be fairly understandable.  For each item, give two ratings between 1 and 10--10 being the highest.  The first rating, (a), is a rating of how well each sentence applies to you as you are now.  For example, the first item is, "I laugh more than most people".  If I feel like I laugh about an average amount, I'd rate myself at about a 5 to show I don't feel like I laugh less than most people or more than most people.  The second rating, (b), is a rating of where you would like to be.  So if I think I'd be better off laughing more than most people, I'd give a (b) rating between 6 and 10.  So the first step is to give each item an (a) score and a (b) score.  The second step is to look at all of your (b) scores.  Look at which items you rated as 10s.  Then prioritize which are the top five, in order, that you would most like to improve on now.  Lastly, let me know if you answered the theist or nontheist versions of #12 and # 20.  Send your responses as a comment to the blogsite.

I'll look at your numbers, ask four or five questions, and once I get those further answers, I'll interpret those scores based on the stage model of attentional strategies.  Example interpretations can be found on the blog.  Here are the questionnaire items:

1. I laugh more than most people.

2. As much as any emotional feeling, my internal experience is characterized by a sense of openness.

3. I like to make plans, and I'm good at it.

4. Everything is peace.

5. I am able to multi-task without getting lost.

6. I am inspired by the simple feeling and energy of being alive.

7. I avoid thinking about anything that makes me uncomfortable.

8. My heart and mind are clear.

9. Let's play!

10. I have a strong feeling that everything fits together even when I don't know how.

11. During work and at the end of the day, I am able to relax when I choose.

12. Everything happens through God.  --or for those who are not theists...--

      I feel certainty in the wholeness of the universe.

13. I enjoy losing myself in difficult tasks I am really good at.

14. Once I make up my mind, it stays made up.

15. I am always aware of vast freedom in life.

16. I love learning new things.  People think of me like Curious George.

17. I am well-disciplined; if I say I will do something, I do it.

18. Serenity is the greatest gift or possession.

19. I am very aware of my own emotions and others' emotions without being overwhelmed by emotions.

20. I can actually feel strongly that my soul is close to God.  --or for those who are not theists...--

      I am at ease within the harmony of things.

21. It doesn't bother me to think about problems that too new or too complicated for me to understand.