The Answer to all your Questions

Most people run internal dialogue fairly consistently. They spend hours every day talking to themselves and trying to find solutions to whatever it is they’re dealing with. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are constantly receiving feedback from the world around you, and whatever questions you ask yourself, you will receive answers that are not necessarily satisfactory ones.

Here is an exercise. Put yourself in the following situations, and pay attention to the questions you ask yourself afterwards.

You got mugged on your way to work.

Your car broke down.

You missed the bus.

You lost your ‘phone.

If you find yourself asking questions like the following, you might want to consider changing them:

Why does this happen to me?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do I have such bad luck?

What else could go wrong? (I personally think this one’s brilliant; you’ll understand in moment.)

Questions are intended to direct your attention.

If the question continues to engage your attention, your brain will focus on finding answers, regardless of the quality, or lack thereof, of the question.

So here is a suggestion: Become aware of the questions you ask yourself. Have a clear intention for asking questions, and always consider your context.

Asking questions like the following will probably lead to a more useful path:

How can I be safe on my way to work next time?

How can I avoid my car breaking down in the future?

How can I get my phone back?

How can I make things better?

See where your attention goes to now? Do you feel different about the whole situation? These questions will take your attention in another direction, which means your brain will engage different neurological pathways, which in turn will bring you different results from those you were getting in the past.

“Have a clear intention for asking questions and always consider your context”.

The most exceptionally effective people I’ve met consistently ask themselves questions like:

How can I learn something from this?, 

How can I make the most out of this situation?

I suspect that the quality of the questions has something to do with the results they get; do you think it’s just a coincidence?

A great example of this is a quote by Sir Richard Branson that says,

“Don’t think what’s the cheapest way to do it or what is the fastest way to do it… think what’s the most amazing way to do it?”

So next time you catch yourself asking for answers, make sure you know what your intention is for asking that question.

That’s it for today. Now go out there and take your next step towards Exceptional Effectiveness, by asking yourself the right questions. Start small at first and see it for yourself. It will change your life, just like it changed mine.

Remember, this is practical advice, not just another theory, so do go out and try it, and let me know how you went.

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Learn more about NLP by reading our Ultimate Compendium of NLP

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