The Proust Questionnaire
Answered by Ann Venkataraman
This post is a response to the challenge hosted by Tree Langdon, CPA, CGA answering questions created by Proust, the famous French writer. Thanks to Niru for reminding me of this brilliant challenge. The questions seem simple but they forced me to self-introspect deeply while being fun too!
Dear readers, you should definitely participate too! Here are my answers for some inspiration and a chance to know me better:
1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? A: Curled up near a window with a view, a book in my hands, and a cup of hot coffee! Aha, bliss.
2. What is your greatest fear? A: Losing my loved ones.
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? A: I often let others assume my positivity is naivete or ignorance or me being unrealistic. Being happy and seeing the silver lining is MY choice.
4. Which living person do you most admire? A: My mom — my mentor, friend, and cheerleader.
5. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? A: Multitasking. Most people use it as an excuse to do two things together, doing both with deplorable mediocrity.
6. On what occasion do you lie? A: To spare someone’s feelings.
7. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? A: “Actually”.
8. What or who is the greatest love of your life? A: This has changed with time. For now my adorable daughter Maitreyi.
9. When and where were you happiest? A: I am lucky to have many beautiful and memorable moments of happiness. The first that comes to mind is a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park — stunning views, amazing company (parents, cousins, and all), and one week full of love and laughter.
10. Which talent would you most like to have? A: Mind-reading!
11. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? A: I apologize too much!
12. What do you consider your greatest achievement? A: Working at Nasdaq. Apart from the chance to work for an amazing company and brilliant colleagues, this experience accelerated my learning, boosted my personal brand, and opened multiple doors of opportunities, including my (fabulous) current job.
13. Where would you most like to live? A: Santorini, Greece, or Hawaii. I love nature and beaches! (As evidenced by my vacation image from Miami)
14. What do you most value in your friends? A: Loyalty.
15. Which historical figure do you most identify with? A: Leonardo da Vinci — His life inspires me to try new things and constantly look for ways to stretch my limits. He loved challenging the status quo.
16. Who are your heroes in real life? A: My parents and Sanna Marin, the Prime Minister of Finland.
17. What is your greatest regret? A: That I did not believe in my own skills and expertise in my twenties. Waiting far too long before “owning” my success and promoting my personal brand.
18. What is your motto? A: Ready, Fire, Aim. If you can, read the book of the same name by Michael Masterson.
Thanks for reading this far! For additional inspiration, here is a similar response post :
Meanwhile, please consider trying your hand to answer these questions too! The link to the original challenge is given below:
Until next time, Adieu and Happy Writing!
