“My life Is My Message” Questionnaire
SJ 12
Mahatma Gandhi was once asked by a reporter, “What is your
message?” He responded, “My life is my message.” It is important to
remember that who you are as a person, and how much you
model compassion and respect is your biggest message. As William
Ellery Channing once said, “May your life preach more loudly than
your words.” The following questionnaire will give you the
opportunity to reflect upon your life and put into words some
concrete goals for modelling the message. AS you complete the
questionnaire, try to tap into your deepest wisdom and your most
ardent hopes for yourself, family, and the world we all share.
The questionnaire is divided in three parts: 1) what you currently do, 2) what you
want to learn/do, and 3) what steps you will take. The purpose of Part 3 is to make
very concrete, very manageable plans for yourself. Write down only the ideas that
are easy to carry through and that truly inspire you.
1. The qualities (virtues) most important to me are the following (list five)
For a list of virtues visit the following website: http://www.virtuescience.com/virtuelist.html
2. A. My life already reflects the following qualities fairly well: (list five)
B. I would like to live my life so that it reflects the following qualities more deeply: (list five)
C. In order to achieve this goal, I will take the following steps: (2-3 sentences)
3. A. With my family and friends I model the following qualities: (list five)
B. I would like to model the following qualities more consciously with my family and friends: (list five)
C. In order to achieve this goal, I will take the following steps: (2-3 sentences)
4. A. In relation to my health (physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual), I take care of myself in the
following ways: (list five)
B. I would like to learn/do the following in order to improve my health: (2-3 sentences)
C. I will take the following steps to improve my health: (2-3 sentences)
5. A. In my interaction outside of home and school, my attitudes, behaviours and relationships reflect
the following qualities and virtues: (list five)
B. I would like to learn/do the following in order to improve my attitude, behaviours, and relationships:
(2-3 sentences)
C. I will take the following steps to improve my attitude, behaviours, and relationships:
(2-3 sentences)
6. A. In relation to activism and volunteerism, I already do the following: (2-3 sentences)
B. In relation to activism and volunteerism, I would like to help more in the following ways: (2-3
sentences)
c. I will take the following steps in order to help others through activism and volunteerism:
7. A. In relation to charitable giving and sharing my resources I contribute in the following ways: (3-4
sentences)
B. I would like to contribute more in the following ways: (2-3 sentences)
C. I will take the following steps to contribute more. (2-3 sentences)
8. A. In relation to the people who produce and supply products and services I use, I currently make the
following choices to prevent others from suffering or being exploited. (2-3 sentences)
B. In relation to the people who produce and supply products and services I use, I need to learn about
the following in order to make choices that better reflect respect and responsibility: (2-3 sentences)
C. I will take the following steps to learn, think critically and make more humane choices in relation to
other people: (2-3 sentences)
9. A. In relation to other species (wildlife as well as domesticated animals used for food and clothing, in
produce testing, and in forms of entertainment, kept in shelters, etc.), I currently make the following
choices to minimize animal suffering and exploitation: (2-3 sentences)
B. In relation to other species (wildlife as well as domesticated animals used for food and clothing, in
produce testing, and in forms of entertainment, kept in shelters, etc.), I need to learn about the
following in order to make choices that better reflect respect and responsibility: (2-3 sentences)
C. I will take the following steps to learn, think critically and make more humane choices in relation to
other species: (2-3 sentences)
10. A. In relation to the environment (air, salt water, fresh water, land, soil, forests, rainforests, natural
resources, etc.), I currently make the following choices to live an environmentally friendly life. (2-3
sentences)
B. In relation to the environment (air, salt water, fresh water, land, soil, forests, rainforests, natural
resources, etc.), I need to learn about the following in order to make choices that better reflect respect
and responsibility: (2-3 sentences)
C. I will take the following steps to learn, think critically and make more humane choices in relation to
the environment: (2-3 sentences)
11. In order to turn the interactions I identified in this questionnaire into practical changes, I will use the
following methods to support and discipline myself: (this support can be internal—such as starting a
meditation practice—or external—such as taking a class or creating a support group—or a combination
of both) (3-4 sentences)
12. Imagine a world 40 years from now in which many of the problems we face today have been
solved. A child visits you and asks, “What role did you play to help make the world better?” What
would you like to be able to say to this child? (2 paragraphs)