CURIOSITY OVER ANSWERS
A POWERFUL STRATEGY FOR PERSONAL GROWTH
3-Minute Read
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” —Albert Einstein, “Death Of A Genius,” LIFE MAGAZINE, 1955.
In the normal course of events, we ask questions to find answers. This is useful and also limiting. To be curious, to question, to comprehend mysteries with no agenda regarding the answers—this is a most unusual way to ask questions. And it will give you access to the realm we each have difficulty seeing on our own: What You Don’t Know You Don’t Know.
In today’s issue of The Grip, learn the uncommon, yet very powerful, skill of asking questions not to get answers but to transcend your current limits and discover new possibilities for your life. We’ve developed a tool for you to practice and master this skill starting today.
UPGRADED QUESTIONS
An excerpt from INTENTIONAL: 52 Maxims of Conscious Choosing, by Becky Henderson (WATCH THE TRAILER)
The quality of your life is shaped by the questions you ask.
Questions operate as information filters in the brain.
They set the conditions by which your brain sorts through billions of available inputs to
decide which information is to be noticed and
which is to be ignored.
Much like programming a destination into a navigation system, the question you ask
sets your direction and limits your outcome.
You’ll wind up here and not there because the question itself determines which options
will and won’t enter your conscious awareness as being available to you.
Consider the difference in results produced by the following two questions:
“Why is this happening to me?” vs.
“What will I create with this?”
A new question is a door to a new world of possibility.
You will powerfully transform the results you are getting
by employing questions you are not yet asking.
Upgrade your questions, and you’ll upgrade your life.
52 Maxims of Conscious Choosing To Create the Deeply Satisfying Life You Desire.
elevated perspective practice
The renown physicist, Max Planck, said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Imagine viewing your surroundings from the level of standing on a table, then a ladder, the rooftop of a skyscraper, and finally, a mountain peak. Each elevated perspective opens new insights and reveals details that were impossible to see from below. Similarly, you can use questions as elevated platforms to look at your life to help you see what you’ve never seen before.
Rather than stressing and effort-ing to get an answer, the purpose of asking questions in this manner is to discover something new; that’s it.
The following practice will train you to use questions this way.
To start, choose a realm of mastery below that resonates: Increasing Personal Effectiveness or Leveraging Difficult Circumstances. Select one question from within that realm. Then proceed to the practice instructions.
Increasing Personal Effectiveness
What is the gap between the life I desire and the life my actions are producing?
What do I do to NOT get what I want?
Who must I become to generate the outcomes I desire?
Which choices today could recalibrate my trajectory?
What shift would happen if I consistently acted on my words?
What commitment have I been avoiding that, if acted upon, would create my next breakthrough?
What uncomfortable conversation or action would transform my results?
Leveraging Difficult Circumstances
What gift, blessing, lesson, or strategic advantage does this situation reveal for my growth?
What will I create with this adversity?
How can I use this experience to accelerate my mission?
How would I have to see this challenge to make it easy and enjoyable?
Where have I abdicated my power to choose, and how would fully owning my choices make a difference?
In what ways do I make circumstances responsible for how my life turns out?
Who would I be without the thought that this situation is difficult, and what does that free me to do?
Elevated Perspective Practice Instructions
Select Your Focus Question
Choose a question that sparks curiosity and exploration within your chosen realm. Focus on just one question for an entire week to let it deepen and evolve in your awareness.Daily Practice
Dedicate quiet time each day to contemplate the question, allowing it to be your “lens” on life. Notice what’s working, what’s not working, and what other possibilities emerge for you.In addition to this focused time, set an hourly reminder to bring the question back to your mind, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Repeat the question out loud a couple of times then return to your day.
Observe & Record Insights
With sustained focus, your brain will begin to reveal new patterns and perspectives. Make notes of insights as they surface—tracking changes in how you perceive situations, solutions, or limitations.Stay Curious About Emerging Answers
Specific answers may arise as you focus on the question. Capture these but continue asking the question, allowing even broader insights to surface. Embrace the useful insights, release those that don’t serve you, and remain open to more.Repeat and Apply
Return to these questions, focusing on one for a week at a time, whenever you seek growth, mastery, or momentum. They are designed to serve as tools for continuous elevation, helping you to move forward with clarity and impact in any area of life, personally and professionally.
“Curiosity has its own reason for existence…never lose a holy curiosity. ”
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As you practice using questions as a platform to elevate your perspective, you’ll discover that virtually any question can be leveraged to your advantage. You’ll also discover your capacity to use questions this way in real-time, everyday conversations and experiences; you’ll apply it “in the game” not just during practice hours.
Mastering this skill is a powerful way to be ever growing, developing, and advancing your life.
If you haven’t yet read Intentional, get a copy today. It’s a powerful tool to help you upgrade your life.
Stay curious!
May you prosper in every way!
Becky & TPL Team