{"id":4977,"date":"2011-10-10T12:01:53","date_gmt":"2011-10-10T16:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=4977"},"modified":"2011-10-10T12:01:53","modified_gmt":"2011-10-10T16:01:53","slug":"want-better-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/want-better-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"Want Better Answers?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We humans are born question askers. Listen to any toddler and you\u2019ll hear a stream of questions about any subject that catches their attention. \u201cWhy?\u201d is the most frequently used word in their vocabularies.<\/div>\n

During the days when I taught high school English, I used to say that my idea of hell was being in a roomful of teenagers all screaming, \u201cDo we have<\/em> to?\u201d It was a question that often erupted after I gave a challenging assignment.<\/p>\n

Questions are such a common part of everyday communication that most people don\u2019t give much thought to them.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to suggest that you to pay more attention.<\/p>\n

I started to do so when I noticed that a popular television talk show host seemed to turn the most fascinating guests into complete bores. As I watched more closely, I discovered that his questions often led to dead ends, giving his guests no place to go or no story to tell.<\/p>\n

People who have charisma, who draw others to themselves, usually have a reputation for being good listeners. Part of their secret, it seems to me, is that they ask great questions to begin with and then give their full attention to the answer, prodding and encouraging when necessary.<\/p>\n

They make people feel valued because they listen to the answers.<\/p>\n

Asking good questions isn\u2019t just a way to win friends and influence people, however. It\u2019s an overlooked key to success.<\/p>\n

Not all questions are illuminating. Many, in fact, stop us dead in our tracks. \u201cHow are you going to do that?\u201d or \u201cWhy haven\u2019t I gotten farther?\u201d are the kinds of questions that lead us down the path of doubt, not dreams.<\/p>\n

Learning to ask better questions of ourselves can get us headed in the right direction and keep us moving forward.<\/p>\n

Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen, the authors of\u00a0The One Minute Millionaire,<\/em><\/strong> point out that when we ask the wrong questions we condemn ourselves to living below our potential. They write, \u201cIf you ask yourself, \u2018How do I earn or create a million dollars?\u2019 your mind goes to work to discover the answer. Your mind is compelled to work ceaselessly until a satisfactory answer is found.<\/p>\n

\u201cNote that most individuals ask themselves questions like these: \u2018How do I get a job, salary or work?\u2019 or \u2018Can I earn $50,000 doing this?\u2019 The wrong question will generate the wrong result or a less than outstanding outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuestions predetermine the answer. The size of your question determines the size of your answer. Few people ever ask million-dollar earning, inventing, innovating, generating and creating questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you keep a journal or idea notebook, start making a list of provocative questions you\u2019d like answered in your own life. Ask them in the most compelling way you can think of.<\/p>\n

For example, \u201cHow can I deliver the most fabulous service possible?\u201d is a lot more intriguing than, \u201cHow can I give better service?\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider questions about spirituality, relationships, personal growth and improving the overall quality of life, as well as questions about creating the most brilliant business possible.<\/p>\n

Keep adding to the list and leave room after each question for the answers to come. Be willing, also,\u00a0 to be patient in receiving your answers.<\/p>\n

As writer Zora Neale Hurston reminds us, \u201cThere are years that ask questions and years that answer.\u201d The important thing is to ask the best questions to begin with\u2014the ones that are worthy of your dreams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We humans are born question askers. Listen to any toddler and you\u2019ll hear a stream of questions about any subject that catches their attention. \u201cWhy?\u201d is the most frequently used word in their vocabularies. During the days when I taught high school English, I used to say that my idea of hell was being in…<\/p>\n

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