One of the more challenging questions you may come across is, “What do you want?” 

In The Alter Ego Effect, Todd Herman shares a powerful prompt:

I leaned back in my chair, waiting for Michael, a fairly successful real estate professional, to answer my question: “What do you want?”

He looked pained, like he couldn’t see it or admit it. So I interrupted his mental traffic jam and asked, “What don’t you want?” 

Immediately, with a lot of frustration and emotion he unleashed a flood of don’ts: 

“I don’t want to worry about rejection anymore.” 

“I don’t want to worry about what my boss will say if I don’t hit my numbers.”

“I don’t want to wake up dreading my day anymore.” 

“I don’t want to feel like I’m wasting my days away.”

If you’re tempted to say, “I don’t want to sound egotistical,” Todd would tell you, “Sound egotistical.” He writes, “Admitting you want something isn’t egotistical. It’s honest.”