When was the last time someone asked you a question about yourself that really made you think and led you down a path of self-discovery? If asked a question like this, would you blow it off? Would you say you don’t have time to answer it or you don’t want to answer it because it makes you uncomfortable? Or would you think you don’t deserve to spend that kind of time on yourself? Perhaps you would relish the chance to go inside and do a little digging through your thoughts, beliefs and emotions. I will share with you three powerful questions to reveal your biggest obstacles and limiting beliefs.
The world runs on questions
The world runs on questions. Questions are how you learn about how the world works. Questions are how you connect with others. And questions are how you connect with yourself. Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you have.
Are the authorities giving you the right answers?
The world runs on answers too. We like to get our answers from authorities. Our best authorities are experts and we trust what they tell us (usually). We get answers from scientists, doctors, parents, teachers. They program what we believe about how the world works, how people are, and even about who we are. And then we forget we were programmed with these answers and the programming goes into our subconscious mind. But those answers are not always correct. Or those answers were correct at one time but no longer are. Or maybe there is more than one correct answer.
Answers that are wrong or just wrong for you can cause unnecessary suffering that can last a lifetime. One big way you might suffer is by having a dream and not achieving it. Years go by and you start to think the dream will die, that you will die not having achieved your dream. What can you do if you suffer like this? How can you move beyond limitation and suffering?
You ask different questions or more questions. You ask different authorities. And if it is a question about you, you ask the expert: YOU! You have the answers inside you.
Questions are Powerful
Questions are powerful in how they can limit choices or pre-suppose answers. Yes or no? The black or white one? Maybe the answer is maybe, or the answer is gray. Maybe you do not like the question, or it is time to question the question. Just like the so-called authorities do not have all the right answers, they also do not have all the right questions.
Powerful questions that excite you or make you uncomfortable can help you grow beyond your current limitations and finally achieve your long-held desires. Powerful questions often take time to think about, and it is easy to put off answering them.
The best question for you can change over time, depending on where you are in your life. If a question does not excite you on some level, it may not be the right question. If a question brings up a little fear, it is probably a good question for you to explore.
The best questions often come as multiple related questions, with the second and third questions serving as follow ups. These stop you from falling short of fully exploring and getting to the heart of the matter and having breakthroughs and aha moments.
One good question, truthfully answered, can change the course of your life.
3 Powerful Questions
If you are ready to make a change, ready to finally achieve that long-held goal, here are a few powerful questions to get you started:
- What is something you have wanted for a long time but still do not have? It could be a material thing, a big project, an accomplishment, a relationship.
- Why do you want this thing? How will it benefit you? How will it change your life for the better? How will it change life for you family and/or friends for the better? How will it make you feel? What values will be honored when you reach this goal?
- What are the reasons you do not have it yet? What is getting in your way? What are your biggest obstacles? These questions will bring up your limiting beliefs. When you build your awareness, you can challenge limiting beliefs and shift them so they align with your desire and your values, making it easier for you to take action and achieve your goal.
As you answer these questions, get curious. Does your answer raise another question? Go there. And then does that answer raise another question? Do this until you have explored all the branches.
Powerful questions are like acorns
Create an image in your mind of a barely perceptible outline of an oak tree with no leaves, including the trunk and the branches and the limbs. Think of the question as the acorn and your willingness to answer as the trunk. As you answer the question, notice how the branches light up. And as you ask another question based on the previous answer, a limb lights up. (This is not a perfect analogy because one question may not have that many branches or the branches may not have that many limbs.) The idea is that when you fully explore a question, the tree lights up and comes alive, and this area of your life becomes more consciously active for you, and potentially more fulfilling, whether it’s your career or a key relationship or something else.
Answering these questions can help you become conscious of obstacles or limiting beliefs. Please share your thoughts in the comments.