"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes." Albert Einstein
Most of us, when seeking clarity, look for answers. This approach has a fundamental flaw however.
Namely, the answer can only be as good as the question. Ask a poor quality question, get a poor quality answer.
A quick example. A client of mine is on a mission to be happier and more fulfilled. They came to me asking themselves "in which direction should I take my business: path X, or path Y?"
They're asking this question because they believe their business is the main cause of their frustrations. Fair enough. Makes sense on the surface.
BUT, it's a very limiting question yielding similarly narrow answers. The question assumes that the business is the reason for their misalignment, and ignores the fact that there may be, read almost certainly are, other things at play.
So we switched to a better question: "what needs do you currently have that are not being met, either through work or elsewhere in your life?"
This question quite quickly led us to the actual cause of their stress, which incidentally had nothing to do with work and everything to do with how they see themselves.
It's not an exaggeration to say that had they stuck to their original question, they could have spent many years and tens, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds addressing the wrong thing.
Not only have I done this myself but I've seen countless others do it too!
My invitation to you is to conduct a deep audit of the questions are you are currently asking yourself in the different areas of your life, both consciously and unconsciously. Work, relationships, health, adventures, finance etc.
If you're prepared to dig deep and be honest with yourself, you might just be amazed by the questions you unearth and the impact they're having on you.
