Ask Questions

Written by Millionaire’s Digest Team Member: Andrew Rocha

Founder & Owner of: Successful Steps

Millionaire’s Digest Team, Contributor, Successful Living Writer

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“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” –  Og Mandino

Most of us live our lives craving to find answers. We make plans, but they are all subject to the inevitable and spontaneous changes that happen in life. Many of these changes are beyond our control, so we are stressed as we look for answers about how to deal with these changes. Let’s take a look at how we can use questions to help us find answers.

We tend to shy away from asking questions, out of fear of appearing dumb, or defiant. By acting like we know the answers to try and protect our self-esteem, we hurt our ability to learn and grow as a person.

When you ask the right questions, you begin to get the insight you need to conquer your challenges and achieve your goals. Let’s look at a few examples:

Conversations

Humans are social animals, and being a good conversationalist is a useful life skill. Fortunately, we don’t need to have special knowledge or skill sets to have a good conversation. Figure out what the other person is passionate about and ask about that topic. Usually, people are delighted to talk about their passion and will have a lot to share with you. From there, you can find points to connect with and share your thoughts, opinions, and experiences. If you are a good listener, they will enjoy the conversation even more. Having a good conversation with people can help build friendships, so ask questions and learn from what that person has to say. As Bill Nye says, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” Find out what that something is.

Procrastination

Tired of dealing with the consequences of procrastination? Question yourself and ask why you are really procrastinating. Go beyond the surface and continue questioning yourself in order to get some genuine answers. Is your procrastination rooted in fear? If so, why are you afraid of the task? How can you get started and do a segment that isn’t as intimidating to give yourself some momentum? Follow the trail of questions to find some strategies to deal with procrastination.

Fears

Similar to procrastination, we can question our fears to try and find the source. We often accept our fears without giving it a second thought. What happens if we question our fears? What happens when we ask ourselves those questions we are afraid to ask? When we bring our attention to the fear, we might see a different perspective on it. This may take time, but it is a valuable practice.

Emotions

Emotions tend to have patterns that we don’t notice. We link situations and people in our environment to our emotions and believe they are inseparable. It might seem strange at first, but try questioning your emotions. Questioning emotions like frustration and stress can help us determine what patterns evoke these emotions in us so we can use this information in the future. Even questioning emotions like happiness and joy can be beneficial, so we can get a better idea of what makes us happy. If you question your emotions, you are also being mindful of them which helps deal with stress and increase happiness.

Self-Reflection

Most of us live in a society where we never stop and realize what is going on in the world around us. Instead of encouraging the idea of questioning things, people often encourage obedience and being able to follow orders. If we question why things are done the way they are, we can think of ways to improve aspects of our life. Questioning ourselves is also very useful. Questioning what you value, what makes you happy, and what you want to accomplish in life are great ways to determine what your goals are, and what motivates you.

Questioning yourself and others might seem strange and uncomfortable at first. That’s perfectly normal because we are not used to this practice. Over time, it will get easier and feel more natural. When you keep with it, you will begin to notice the benefits and begin to shift your life in a more positive direction.

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Article Credits: Andrew Rocha

Millionaire’s Digest Team, Contributor

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