5 Ways Asking Why Will Change Your Life
Questioning things or people can be good or bad. On one end, questions lead to answers - which a lot of us desire! On the other end, curiosity killed the cat - meaning questions can be a burden or lead to uneasy answers.
I think a lot of us just aren't asking the right question...Why? No, I'm not asking you why we don't ask the right questions. I'm saying that we need to start asking "why?" more.
Why am I feeling this way? Why did he do that to me? Why is the sky blue?
These questions leads to knowledge and knowledge is power!
Here are 5 reasons why you need to start asking this powerful, one-worded question more often.
1. Asking why helps to get in tune with your emotions. A lot of us take our feelings for what they are. If you're sad, you're sad because something made you that way. If you're happy, it's because something good happened. But try asking yourself why. Why does this make me so happy? Why is this making me so sad?
You may learn some incredibly interesting things about yourself if you just start asking yourself why things are affecting you the way that they are.
My life example: I tried asking myself why I felt so happy and comfortable in a natural environment. I learned that I'm happiest in nature because I feel free. Being surrounded by trees or water makes me forget about all of my troubles. I can be in the moment and ultimately happy when I am in the middle of nature.
2. Asking why encourages you to think outside of the box and promotes creativity. You can expand your typical thought process when you start asking why. Your creative flow will love you asking this question. Why is the sky blue? Why does the wind move that way? Ask yourself simple questions that make you think deeper and more creatively.
My life example: Whenever I get curious about something, I have to look it up. I have to know why something looks a certain way or why something is called what it is. Most of the time I gain inspiration from these answers. Even if nothing creative comes from it, I just learned something really freakin cool!
3. Asking why pushes your boundaries and helps you step outside of your comfort zone. Don't trap yourself in your own mind. Instead of repeating to yourself how stuck you are, try asking yourself "Why do I feel as though I am limited?" Push yourself to do more and do better, but try to figure out the root of the problem first. This may help to clear those blocks and really get you moving into a cool direction.
My life example: Whenever I start feeling like I can't do something, I have to ask myself why. Why wouldn't I be able to do this? Most of the time there is no legitimate reason. You can do anything that you want, as long as you set your mind to it.
4. Asking why creates growth as an individual. I mentioned part of this in number 3, but asking why can help you clear blocks and can really start helping you growing as a person. If you can figure out why you feel a certain way or why you react the way you do to situations, you may be able to do some incredible growing that you had no idea you were capable of.
My life example: I'm what most people call a "cry baby." I can cry at the drop of a dime. I was always so embarrassed of this. A lot of people think that makes me weak. It wasn't until I rooted down and tried to understand why I cry so much that I learned the actual cause. I'm just an emotional, sensitive person. That's it. I'm not weak or a cry baby. I'm just really affected by life and people! It took me 20-something years to be totally okay with that.
5. Asking why leads to more questions and better conversation. Self explanatory right? Asking why one time may lead to another "why?" Or maybe a who or a what? It's pretty rare (at least where I am from) that you run into people who aren't nose deep in their cellphones. When you can strike up a conversation with someone, ask them questions. Learn who they are and what they're about. If they tell you what they do for a living, ask them why they chose that career path. You might be super interested in what they're saying and may even make a new friend!
My life example: I met a woman on a plane who had a business selling gift baskets. I asked her why she started this business and she told me it was because she enjoyed giving gifts to people and wanted to help others do the same. This conversation lasted our whole flight and she was probably one of the most genuine, caring people I've ever met. Had I not have shown interest in her career, we both might've ended up nose deeps in our phones again.
I highly suggest you start asking a good ole "why?" more often. You'll learn so much about yourself and the world around you. You'll get to the root of so many cool things. It's the most simple, 3 letter question that you could ever ask yourself.
Try it out! In the questions ask something that involves your "why." Ask me something, ask yourself something, ask someone else something. Just connect with this question!