The Power of Questions

The human brain is a powerful, incredibly effective apparatus that allows us to imagine, create, remember, analyze, dream, breathe, move, and regulate literally thousands of bodily functions and biochemical processes all at the same time. It is also an extraordinary problem solver. Feed it a mix of facts, suppositions and best guesses and it will invariably and inexorably deliver to you an abundance of solutions of varying value.

The adage, ‘garbage in, garbage out,’ usually applied to computer programming, is an apt account of how our brains operate. What we can expect to receive as answers is exactly proportional to the quality of the stuff that we enter into our heads. A huge amount of the self-talk that we engage in everyday is the questions that we ask ourselves. These questions that we pose are powerful molders of meaning for us. They are queries that can send us into spirals of helplessness and inaction, or propel us to heights of confidence and accomplishment.

When you ask your brain a question, it immediately goes into action to try to come up with an answer that makes sense. The answer doesn’t have to benefit you; it just has to make sense. For instance, when you ask, “Why can’t I lose weight?” What comes to you are things like, “because it’s too hard.” or, "I'm just meant to be fat." That's because the question presupposes that you can't lose weight. So the brain does it's best to give you a rationale to fit your assumption. What if you consistently fed your brain a diet of positive questions, that assumes the most beneficial outcomes for you? The brain would then become a mighty ally, sifting through all of your accumulated information, extrapolating courses of action from your current situation. You would even start to notice potentially helpful things throughout your day, things to which you would have otherwise paid no attention. That question, let loose in your brain, would start working even when you are not consciously considering what you asked.

The trick then is to acquire the habit of re-framing your questions to ones that assume and point you in the direction of your success. So, when dealing with the battle of the bulge, you might ask yourself, “How can I most quickly and easily loose 25 pounds?” or, “What do I have to do differently to stick to this new diet?” Begin to consistently think in terms of what you want, instead of dwelling on the idea of not having it. For many of us, contemplating our misery has become a well-established practice.

Mindfulness is the key. Start to be aware of how often you complain about a situation or person. Notice when you feel hopeless and defeated, and let that be your cue to ask a more empowering question. Begin to think of your mind as a supercomputer that can find the remedy to even your toughest challenges. Expect it to surprise and delight you with solutions you may never have dreamed of. By holding as your intention, the commitment to always look for the most positive outcomes, you can let the quality of your questions guide you to becoming your own best advocate and adviser.

What amazing improvements might you start to see in your life by asking yourself better questions?