Asking yourself questions
Children are naturally inquisitive and begin asking questions as early as two or three years old. They are fascinated with finding out answers and would like to know how everything came into existence, why certain things are done differently, why certain people behave the way they do!
Just a couple of weeks ago, one of my nieces asked me why it is that when big cars are cruising, you don’t feel the speed thrill you do when riding in a smaller car.
She said to me ‘how come your speedometer only reads 60 km per hour and yet the car feels like we’re driving really fast? That never happens when we drive in daddy’s car, yet he goes well past 60km per hour!’
Coming from a six-year-old, I was amused and baffled while I tried to explain to her in terms that she would understand. Being inquisitive, after all, is nature’s way of ensuring that children learn a lot about the world around them.
An article I recently read, written by life coach Martha Beck, says scientists have proven that continuing to ask questions can help keep your mind nimble no matter how old you eventually become. The only difference with a child is that you won’t be asking ‘adults’ these questions; you will be asking yourself.
Working through the answers on a regular basis will help lead you to your life’s goal, help you realise your values and practically build you up as a person. Beck says one question you could be asking yourself is ‘is this what I want to be doing?
This very moment is, always, the only one in which you can make changes. Knowing which changes are best for you comes, always, from confessing what you feel. Ask yourself many times everyday if you like what you’re doing. Is the answer no? Are you going about your duties with a frown on your face and a heavy heart? Then what would you prefer doing? How can you get to do this preference? Thus begins the revolution.
Next comes how do I want the world to be different because I lived in it? Now this one gets you thinking, doesn’t it? It does, at least, jolt one into a sudden realisation that to live alone is not enough. You ought to live with a purpose. As Martha Beck puts it, live by design, not by accident! Think of it this way; your existence is already a factor in world history. Your name will be in the books at your previous schools, the hospital you were born, your workplaces and so on. What matters, though, is what sort of factor you would like your name to be. You could start with: ‘I am here to lead others to their success.’ The more you keep asking yourself this question, the clearer your purpose will become. When all’s said and done, how would you like people to remember about you? What would you like others to learn from you or benefit from having been in your life?
The follow-up question to this could be, how do I want to be different because I lived in this world? Whether you like it or not, your life will change the world on a small or large scale. Likewise, the world will change you but how it does that is entirely up to you. What experiences do you want to have during your brief stay here? What would you like to learn from the people, the processes, and the nature that surrounds you?
Where am I wrong? How can I make myself a better person? This is one of the most powerful questions you will ever ask yourself and one which you need to get back to every day. As Socrates said, we gain our first measure of intelligence when we first admit our own ignorance. Your ego might want you to avoid noticing where you’re doing things wrong. You set up a few milestones and are a star in some areas but, as a human being, you also have a lot of weak spots. Don’t become self-righteous. Why not ask yourself how you can do certain things better and work towards getting help for that?
