(by 19 people)
Questions have great power. One right question asked at the right time can change the direction of our lives. Hence, the quality of the questions that we ask ourselves is VERY important. It is for the same reason that we need to choose our company very carefully. With the right people around us, for some reason if we miss asking the right questions, someone in our group might.
This lens has my selected writings on the topic of questions
Re-framing your questions
If we are not going in the direction that will ultimately lead us to our goals, one of the problems may be the questions that we ask ourselves. It may be time to reframe some of the questions. Here are a few examples:
Original question: What am I getting?
Reframed question: What am I becoming?
[courtesy: Jim Rohn]
Original question: Why is this happening to me?
Reframed question: What can I learn from this?
Original question: Why can't he/she understand me?
Reframed question: How can I communicate so that he/she can understand me?
Original question: How can I get to the next position so that I am better?
Reframed question: How can I become better so that I get to the next position?
Original question: Why should I be proud of working for my company?
Reframed question: Why should my company be proud of me working for them?
Original question: How can I find a cool company to work for?
Reframed question: How can a cool company find me to work for them?
Original question: How can I get this task done?
Reframed question: What is the right configuration of resources to get this done in the most optimum fashion?
Original question: Do I matter?
Reframed question: How do I matter?
[courtesy: Dr.Barry Posner]
Original question: What am I getting?
Reframed question: What am I becoming?
[courtesy: Jim Rohn]
Original question: Why is this happening to me?
Reframed question: What can I learn from this?
Original question: Why can't he/she understand me?
Reframed question: How can I communicate so that he/she can understand me?
Original question: How can I get to the next position so that I am better?
Reframed question: How can I become better so that I get to the next position?
Original question: Why should I be proud of working for my company?
Reframed question: Why should my company be proud of me working for them?
Original question: How can I find a cool company to work for?
Reframed question: How can a cool company find me to work for them?
Original question: How can I get this task done?
Reframed question: What is the right configuration of resources to get this done in the most optimum fashion?
Original question: Do I matter?
Reframed question: How do I matter?
[courtesy: Dr.Barry Posner]
Quought for the Day series on Life Beyond Code
Quought = A question that provokes thought
Some background first - I have always believed that it is not always the answers but sometimes asking one good question is what is required to make a difference in a person's life or business or both. So as we approach the new year, I thought posting a series of questions that people should consider asking themselves in 2007 to get more out of their life or business or both. Since there is only so much that I can do alone, I reached out to several influencers and thought leaders to get those questions. Here was the question I asked these thoughtful, kind and smart people:
So, what is the ONE important question a person should ask himself or herself in 2007?
And, their responses are below. Enjoy!
So, what is the ONE important question a person should ask himself or herself in 2007?
And, their responses are below. Enjoy!
- Quought #01 - Seth Godin
- What next?
- Quought #02 - Susan Scott
- Given that, while no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship or a life, any single conversation can - what is the conversation that has your name on it?
- Quought #03 - Steve Pavlina
- What would I do differently this year if I had no fear?
- Quought #04 - Phil Gerbyshak
- What do I want to be known for in 2007, and what am I going to do to make this a reality?
- Quought #05 - John Battelle
- What do you care about enough to defend in conversation with people you respect?
- Quought #06 - Mark Goulston
- If wealth is what you take from the world and worth is what you give back, what is your net worth?
- Quought #07 - Heidi Roizen
- Are you enjoying what you do on a daily basis? If not, can you figure out why? Then, what can you do to change that?
- Quought #08 - Steve Shapiro
- What is your "theme" for 2007?
- Quought #09 - Peter Block
- "What is the question that if you had the answer to would set you free?"
- Quought #10 - Liz Strauss
- "In this time of continuous partial attention, how will you show people that you are truly listening, and what will you be actively listening to find out?"
- Quought #11 - Ajit Nazre
- Assuming that you believe that the earth is facing a climate crisis, what is the one activity or personal contribution that you think you will make to improve the environment?
- Quought #12 - Rick Cockrum
- "In twenty years, what do you want to remember?"
- Quought #13 - Mike Sansone
- "How can I help others reach a level of success greater than my own?"
- Quought #14 - Dr. Barry Posner
- "What will be your legacy?"
- Quought #15 - Chris Cree
- "What's one way you can step outside yourself this year, start investing in other people, and begin building a lasting legacy for yourself?"
- Quought #16 - Brendon Connelly
- Am I on the path?
- Quought #17 - Rosa Say
- How would I best spend my days, as the currency they are, if 2007 was to be my final year on earth to fulfill my responsibility for creating a better future?
- Quought #18 - Dave Taylor
- How do you know when you've attained "enough"?
- Quought #19 - Steve Farber
- What can I do--regardless of what anyone else is or is not doing--to change my piece of the world for the better?
- Quought #20 - Kathy Sierra
- "What are you taking for granted?"
- Quought #21 - Tony D. Clark
- How many more right now's are you going to spend waiting for someday?
- Quought #22 - Keith Ferrazzi
- First WHO? Simply, who are the 250 most important people to making my dreams come true in 07?
Second, WHAT? What can I do for them? - Quought #23 - Bob Sutton
- Do I really need more, more, more, for me, me, me? Or do I have enough to live a happy life?
- Quought #24 - David Maister
- "What do I have to do to earn and deserve the key relationships that are going to get me where I want to go?"
- Quought #25 - Trée George
- "Can you be the change you want to see in the world?"
- Quought #26 - Debbie Call
- "What do I want?"
- Quought #27 - Naveen Lakkur
- "Am I working on my strengths?"
- Quought #28 - Mitch Mathews
- Lead Question:
Who is someone who surprised you (in a good way) in 2006?
Follow up question:
Why don't you connect with them and let them know how they impacted you?
Additional follow up question:
Think about who you could surprise (in a good way) in 2007... and go out and do it. - Quought #29 - Gerry Riskin
- Whereas most of us live our lives by focussing on our families and our work without preoccupation with global events, are the emerging global socio-political dangers sufficiently significant and imminent that we should involve them more as we plan our day-to-day lives, perhaps for example, by actively joining the wars against ignorance, intolerance and poverty?
- Quought #30 - Lisa Haneberg
- In 2007, how can I best live in ways that both allow me to express my interests and strengths and contribute to my family/neighborhood/society/world?
- Quought #31 - Harry Beckwith
- How can I be the person that I hope my children become?
- Quought #32 - Bruce Marcus
- When all marketers may be assumed to have access to the same skills and knowledge, and often the same experience, how can we compete successfully?
- Quought #33 - Ben Yoskovitz
- "Why should someone care about what I'm doing?"
- Quought #34 - Christine Clifford Beckwith
- How can I bring laughter into the lives of others facing adversity?
- Quought #35 - Ashwin Rangan
- "What is the one pursuit that invariably brings YOU a feeling of happiness?"
- Quought #36
- "What am I doing directly, or by the influencing of others, towards the betterment of society? Could it be fun and rewarding to do more?"
- Quought #37 - Kelley Bell
- "Am I doing what matters right now?"
- Quought #38 - Professor Srikumar S. Rao
- If you learnt that, owing to unfavorable business conditions, your salary would be cut in half how would you react? Would you scramble to adjust your finances so you could continue? Or would you immediately look elsewhere?
- Quought #39 - Tom Clifford
- If every physical creation is first created mentally, then what will you be creating in 2007?
- Quought #40 - Kimberly Wiefling
- When something that seems like it might be "bad luck" happens . . .
What does this make possible that wasn't possible before?
When I feel like asking "How?" because it seems impossible . . .
What would make that possible?
When I want to demand "Why?" . . .
Help me understand . . .
(Not exactly a question, but gets a lot less defensiveness in people than "why?") - Quought #41 - Atanu Dey
- "Is there any technology that was ever developed for the poor and which eventually ended up benefiting the poor?"
- Quought #42 - Timothy Johnson
- What am I accountable for accomplishing in 2007?
- Quought #43 - Mike Wagner
- "What do you see when you see people?"
- Quought #46 - Paul Graham
- "What are the best questions I'm not even considering?"
- Quought #47 - Delaney Kirk
- "I get to choose my attitude each day. Am I choosing friends and colleagues who are as positive and supportive as I want to be?"
- Quought #48 - Dr. Kirsten Harrell
- If happiness comes from giving, not getting... are you giving enough?
- Quought #49 - Sterling Lanier
- "http://img.squidoo.com/icon-reorder.gif
reorderWhy am I here?" - Quought #50 - John Richardson
- What are you going to do TODAY to reach your goals tomorrow?
- Quought #44 - Drew McLellan
- If, on the day of your funeral someone were to walk up to the podium and speak a single word or phrase that captured the essence of your life - what would you want that word or phrase to be and what are you doing today and every day to earn it?
- Quought #45 - Jodee Bock
- Where in your life might the fear of criticism be greater than your desire for success (however you would define that)?
- Quought #51 - Scot Herrick
- "If you were given fifteen minutes to evacuate from your home (or business) and could take anything with you, what would you take?"
- Quought #53 - Karen Kang
- "What's the most important thing you can do to boost your passion for your job and/or your life?"
- Quought #55 - Jnan Dash
- Have I got the right balance between myriad new ideas in technology, while at other times, getting my mind to a state of "no thoughts"?
- Quought #56 - Rob Crawford
- "When am I in the zone, and how will I double the time I spend in the zone in 2007?"
Quought on Time Series at "Time Matters" blog
Quought = Question that provokes thought
These questions are related to time. All the cool people featured here answered one question:
What is the one question about time, that, if answered well - will help the person make the most of his or her time?
What is the one question about time, that, if answered well - will help the person make the most of his or her time?
- Quought on Time #01 - Harry Beckwith
- Ten years from now, what will I wish I had spent more time doing today?
- Quought on Time #02 - Lisa Haneberg
- Does this email - that I am about to send - demonstrate a deep respect for other people's precious time?
- Quought on Time #03 - Gerry Riskin
- How can I reduce the time I spend on interruptions and unimportant requests that are made by clients, friends and colleagues in favour of having more time for the important projects that are tied to my strategic objectives?
- Quought on Time #04 - Shomit Ghose
- I think there's only one question that one needs to ask about time: What's most important? If you have a prioritized understanding of what's important then you can always make the right decisions with regard to your time.
- Quought on Time #05 - Tony D. Clark
- What is the natural rhythm of my internal clock and how can I match my daily activities to that clock for optimal flow, performance, and rest?
- Quought on Time #6 - Hanley Brite
- Do you know what is really important to you and is that reflected in what you are doing right now?
- Quought on Time #7 - Liz Strauss
- How often do you think - I'm having the time of my life ?
- Quought on Time #8 - Sean Posey
- "How do you stay focused on a project long enough to maintain it to completion?"
Selected writings on questions
- First time entrepreneur questions - A Baker's dozen
- You only get to be a "first time entrepreneur" once. First time entrepreneurs are always special. If you are a "first time entrepreneur" cooking up your new business, try (honestly) answering these questions.
- 10 Questions to ask yourself when you are small
- 10 questions for a small technology business. I am sure some of these questions have broader applicability elsewhere too.
- Strategy simplifed - 3 questions (Courtesy: Don Schmincke)
- Notes from a seminar by Don Schmincke. 3 great questions on strategy
- The IT Manager's dilemma
- Taking time to address your team's unasked questions can fast-track project success
- The New Year Question
- Here is a question to ponder for the new year
- What is the COST of your salary?
- This is a very important career question you need to answer honestly.
- Get to the real question please...
- Remember that even if you get the right answer for a wrong question, it's still of no use :( You need to get to the real question quickly.
- Ways to distinguish yourself - #90 Question the question
- Not all questions have to be answered the way they are asked.
- 10 better questions for aspiring entrepreneurs
- More reframing..
- Question for you
- Please answer this question honestly at least to yourself.
- Reflecting on the past year - two questions
- Here are two questions for you to reflect on the past year.
- How to deal with difficult customers?
- Lot of books and articles on the above mentioned topic but I guess I have a different perspective on this. Please read on..
Latest from my blog - Life Beyond Code
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Foreword by Tom Peters
Beyond Code: Learn to Distinguish Yourself in 9 Simple Steps!
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Books on Questions
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life
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The Book of Questions
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Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double Your Sales Results
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Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 7 Powerful Tools for Life and Work
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Your feedback please...
Drop a note - comments or criticisms all are welcome!
Sleep_Soundly wrote...
Read and share your review on 1000 Questions For Couples and many other Love and Romance Ebooks here.
Posted August 30, 2008
weddingdanceguru wrote...
Read and share your review on 1000 Questions For Couples - question to ask in a new relationship and many other Love and Romance Ebooks.
Posted August 15, 2008
SteveMNash wrote...
This lens is great. I'm going to link to it directly from my problem-solving website - thanks! (People often ask the 'wrong' questions! :-) )
Posted August 21, 2007
Lensmaster
brain
Why do we need to ask these questions?
What do we get?
Rajesh, its wonderful i have always thought of these questions from my childhood, whenever i think of this questions i somehow feel that these questions are creating a wall inbetween what we should know or get and what we get, is it not? Think
Posted August 15, 2007
