One of the best ways to figure out how to change your course for the better is to ask the right questions. Creating a life you love means researching the options that interest you and to do so, you’ll want to get information from people who have done something similar. You want to learn from people who’ve “been there, done that” but remember, the information you get will largely depend on the questions you ask. You need to be both open-ended and specific in your questions, so that you don’t just hear what you want to hear.

Here are some of the best questions to ask your experts in order to get targeted and useful responses:

1. How did you ____________ ?
2. What do you like about ____________ ?
3. What do you dislike about ____________ ?
4. How did you overcome the issue of ____________ ?
5. What’s been your experience with ____________ ?
6. Do you have any problems with ____________ ?
7. What would suggest regarding ____________ ?
8. What was the biggest surprise when you ____________ ?
9. Why did you choose to ____________ ?
10. Would you do ____________ again?

Be persistent in asking questions. Remember, knowledge always trumps fear. The more you know, the less you’ll be afraid to change course.