In this connected world it seems people know almost everything about other people's lives; People put deeply personal information on social media sites as if it's completely normal, and I guess, it is these days. How easy is it to find out personal information about others these days, just by going on their twitbook feed or their instasnap account? That's a rhetorical question by the way; It's easy, we all know that.  

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So, over the weekend we caught up with another couple we are quite friendly with and it turned out that some of their other friends arrived at their house unexpectedly. We ended up in a conversation about getting to know others. It was fun really as we decided to determine ten questions that would help us know the other people a little better. It even taught me a few things about the couple we have known for over 20 years!  

I decided to share the ten questions with you and my answers because none of them are too personal. This is not a challenge by the way although some idiot may take the concept and turn it into something like that. This is merely me opening up a little and giving you an insight into who I am. 

- **What was the last book you read and when did you finish it?:** SEAL Team 6 – Howard E. Wasdin & Stephen Templin which I completed 3 days ago. ***<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_E._Wasdin"> Howard E Wadin SEAL Team 6</a>***

- **What book are you reading now?:** Life Without Us – Alan Weisman ***<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Without_Us">The World Without Us</a>***

- **What was the first book you read and how old were you when you read it?:** The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien and I was nine years old. ***<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit">The Hobbit</a>***

- **What is your ethos or life-rule and why?:** *Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default*. This phrase has a broad meaning to me and helps keep me keep focused on the truly important things in life. It reminds me to take ownership of my own life-journey, decisions and attitude. I use it as a check-measure, a gauge of sorts, to make sure that what I do always leads towards the goal of creating the life I want around me rather than relying on others to provide it. It also serves to remind me that being 10/10 present in all things, no matter what I'm doing, is essential.

- **Who do you admire, or see as inspirational?:** My wife inspires me more than anyone else. She has not had an easy life with the death of her father at a young age and a mother who had to struggle incredibly hard to put her through school and provide for them both. My wife is an astute business woman, a caring and loving wife to me, a generous and giving woman, fiercely loyal and has a temper when she needs one. She's easy-going and flexible in thought and deed. In thirty years of being together she has only ever had our best interests at heart and has supported me in my endeavours, professional and personal. She keeps our house, runs our business, helps care for my dad and her own sick relatives and yet has the time to maintain her own health, wellbeing and beauty.  

- **If you could change anything about the world what would it be and why?:** I'd turn the power off. All of it. The world is out of control in my opinion and needs a healthy dose of reality which would certainly be provided if there was no power. People would have to provide for themselves, would have to stop their excessive use of the planet's resources and would be forced to communicate more. They would also not be able to look into other people's back yards as much meaning they would be more focused on themselves and their own business rather than prying into other people's. Would this herald the *apocalyptic age*? Maybe. Hopefully.  

- **If you could live anywhere at all where would it be and why?:** I'd prefer to live in the country somewhere. Near a small town, maybe a cabin in the woods. I'd need trees and lakes, a creek or river also. Some rolling hills and fields of grass. Give me a reliable pickup truck to get into the town market for supplies and some great like-minded friends and I'd be set.  

- **What job do you do, do you enjoy it and if so/if not why?:** I am a Business Development Manager for a huge real estate company. I enjoy my job immensely as I have a lot of freedom to run my own day and week. I report to one of the three Directors only occasionally and am left to my own devices. My role brings my coaching skills, sales and relationship-building skills together towards an ideal result for the company and I'm not chained to my office chair. I don't have start or finish times and have the ability to set my own day. I have targets and a budget of course and so far exceed both with ease. I also get to work with some amazing people in my team, offer them some direction and the ability to excel in their work also. 

- **What is your biggest fear?:** I fear my wife dying before me. Being without her is simply unthinkable. I would be completely lost and devoid of direction. I feel I would fall in a heap and never pick myself up. It's not that I rely on her to do things for me, more that I feel I would have no reason to continue on without her. Most people will not understand this but as a childless couple I would have no obligation to stay around. My wife is my biggest inspiration and after so long together I doubt I'd be able to continue on with life very effectively. Sometimes, when one partner dies (elderly), the other does so soon after and I totally get that. It's like they have no will to live and I think I'd be like that. 

- **Do you have any regrets. What are they and why?:** I regret not going into the military. I was accepted as a young kid and had the idea of serving my country for a while and then deciding whether to go *career* from there or not. I wanted to come out and be a fireman. It's pretty much all I wanted to do. When I met my wife things changed and I never followed that path. I don't blame her but now I look back and wish we'd made it work. I went through the process in my twenties of becoming a fireman and unfortunately was not quite smart enough in the chemistry, math and physics areas to get all the way through. As someone who never finished high school I'm not surprised. I didn't apply myself very well at school to be honest. Another regret.  

So, there you have it. Of course on the weekend we got to talk about each answer and elaborate on them which was a great deal of fun but you get the idea. The questions don't need to be of a deeply personal nature to reveal something about a person and to inspire some great conversation and, as it did over the weekend. it works even with people you may have known for years! One doesn't need social media to be social. 

[- Design and create your ideal life, don’t live it by default -]

***<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-white-business-career-close-up-221164/">image source</a>***