Have you Asked Yourself the Right Questions?

At the end of the day, the questions we ask of ourselves determine the type of people that we will become. – Leo Babauta (Blogger and author)

“Who has a question to ask?” You probably have heard this statement a zillion times in classrooms, conferences, seminars and churches. The default response is, “No” (at least until someone becomes bold enough to ask some silly question with an obvious answer.)

Interestingly, your breakthrough can come from the quality of questions you ask yourself. It was Voltaire that said, “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” Many questions lack substantial quality and so shut the doors of progress rather than unlock them.

I suggest a progression in the path of quality self-questioning. In this process there are three very important words: What, Why, and How. These words must be used in this progression. Do not stop until you conclude the process else you will be left with a crippling answer.

So let’s do a little exercise on a person that has an issue with his or her looks:

STAGE I:

Question: What is the problem I have with my looks?

Possible Answer: I am thinner than I wish to be.

In this stage the word, “What,” unlocks the situation. It brings you to a clear realization of the problem. The clearer you ask this question the better the response you will receive. Now you can progress to the next stage.

STAGE II:

Question: Why am I thinner than I wish to be?

Possible Answer(s): Because my mother was very thin. Because I don’t eat healthy foods. Because I don’t have friends to support me.

  This stage tells you the possible reasons why you are facing a particular situation. You must be careful with this stage because you can easily get very bad answers that can affect your self-esteem. This is more reason why you must not stop here.

STAGE III:

Question: How can I get better looks?

Possible Answer(s): I could eat healthier diets. I could begin an exercise program. I could read stories of people that overcame similar problems. I could start a blog that tells people about the progress I am making.

This stage is very important as asking “How” unlocks your creativity and ushers you into a world of positive answers. This is the stage that will liberate you from any problem. Without this stage quality self-questioning is impossible. You can try this exercise with any problem you are facing – it works all the times you use it.