Uncover The Powerful Role That Questions Play In Your Life…
Want to experience rapid change in your life, literally
overnight? It’s actually pretty easy to do – simply change the questions you
ask yourself. Questions are one of the most powerful forms of discovery that
you have at your disposal. They can lead to incredible insights, empower you, and
help you tap into your unconscious thought process. Questions can also help you
focus on where you want to be rather than where you are.
Questions can do all this and more – if you use them
properly.
See, there’s a flip side to questions that most people don’t
talk about. As powerful as they are, they can also be used to keep you mired in
negativity, to stall your progress, to blind you to possibilities and to trap
you in your current existence.
So, what’s the difference between a good question and a bad
one? What type of questions should you ask…and which should you throw out
immediately?
Good questions tend to have several things in common. They:
Are motivated by genuine curiosity
Are
open ended, simple and direct
Typically
begin with how or what
Are
focused on what is working or in seeing a positive aspect of a situation
Generate
creativity and provide information or solutions
Let’s look at the difference between a good and bad question
and the different results that might be achieved.
Imagine that you’re just starting your day and you walk out
to find your car has a flat tire. A good question is, “How can I take care of
this quickly and with the least amount of impact on my day?” A bad question
would be, “Why do I have such bad luck?”
Do you see how the first question is open-ended? You’re looking
for solutions. You’re focused on a positive result and are curious to find the
best remedy for the problem. The bad question is completely different. It’s not
focused on anything positive or helpful. In fact, it doesn’t focus on a
solution at all. Instead, it diverts your attention and brings to mind even more
problems and more negativity.
A bad question creates a spiral of downward thoughts that
poisons your mood and inhibits your ability to see the possible options that
are available to you.
Think about the difference between these two questions:
Why
does this always happen to me? Vs What can I learn from this situation?
When you ask yourself the first question, “Why does this
always happen to me?” your mind goes in a very different direction. It will
find an answer to that question – even if it has to completely make it up! And
unfortunately, since the question is rooted in negativity, the answers it makes
up just work to further crush your self esteem and sabotage your success.
Because you’re not good enough
Because you’re a failure
Because you don’t deserve
success
Asking yourself the second question, however (What can I
learn from this situation?) places your thoughts in a completely different
mindset. It focuses on moving forward, and using the situation as a springboard
for further growth.
The most successful people in the world don’t have a secret
formula for getting to where they are – they’ve simply learned to ask better
questions. So, here’s a good question to
get you started:
What can you do TODAY that that will move you one step
closer to your dream?