The Power of Questions to Sharpen Your Focus π§
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the power of questions in shaping our reality, focusing on how they influence our perception, emotions, and decisions. It emphasizes the importance of mindful questioning in various aspects of life, such as learning, problem-solving, decision-making, and personal growth, suggesting that the right questions can lead to new insights and opportunities.
Takeaways
- π§ The brain functions as a deletion device, filtering out information to avoid being overwhelmed, highlighting the importance of focus.
- π€ The power of questions lies in their ability to shape our reality by influencing focus, perception, and emotions.
- π The reticular activating system (RAS) acts as a filter in the brain, determining what's important and responding to it, like hearing one's name.
- π‘ Asking questions about something not previously considered important can lead to noticing it more frequently, as the brain starts to filter for it.
- π― Questions direct our attention and the brain works to find answers, concentrating on elements related to the question asked.
- π The types of questions we ask can frame our attitudes and perceptions, affecting how we view problems and opportunities.
- π¦ Questions can influence our decisions by highlighting different aspects of a situation, leading us to focus on risks or opportunities.
- π Questions trigger emotional responses, and the types of questions we ask can generate anxiety or excitement, sadness or joy.
- π± Asking the right questions can amplify and accelerate learning and growth by fostering curiosity and challenging existing beliefs.
- π Questions can deepen relationships by fostering empathy and understanding when we inquire deeply into someone's experiences and feelings.
- π Being mindful of the questions we ask is crucial as they shape our interpretation and interaction with the world, impacting our thoughts and actions.
Q & A
How many thoughts does an average person have per day?
-An average person has about 60,000 thoughts a day.
What is the role of the reticular activating system (RAS) in the brain?
-The reticular activating system (RAS) is a filter in the brain that determines what is important to an individual, essentially acting as a spotlight feature to focus on specific aspects.
How can asking questions influence our perception and reality?
-Asking questions directs our focus and frames our perception, influencing how we feel and react to situations. It can highlight different aspects of a situation, affecting our decisions and emotional responses.
What is the 'red car theory' and how does it relate to the power of questions?
-The 'red car theory' illustrates how asking a question (e.g., looking for red cars) can make us more aware of that particular thing, effectively changing our reality by focusing our attention on it.
How do the types of questions we ask affect our attitudes and assumptions about problems?
-Empowering questions encourage a positive outlook and open up possibilities, while questions that focus on negative aspects can make us feel powerless and passive.
What is the significance of asking questions in the context of learning and personal growth?
-Questions can amplify and accelerate learning and growth by fostering curiosity, challenging existing beliefs, and requiring us to integrate new information.
How can asking questions help in conflict resolution?
-Questions can help clarify a situation and remind us of our values and commitments, guiding our behavior and potentially resolving conflicts more effectively.
What is the importance of asking questions in deepening relationships?
-Questions can affect the depth and quality of relationships by fostering empathy and understanding, as they allow us to delve deeper into someone's experiences, thoughts, and feelings.
How can asking questions about health and productivity lead to better outcomes?
-By asking questions related to health and productivity, we can identify areas for improvement, set goals, and find solutions that align with our values and needs.
What is the role of questions in innovation and professional advancement?
-Questions can open up new opportunities and lead to innovations by challenging the status quo and encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.
Outlines
π§ The Power of Questions in Shaping Reality
This paragraph discusses the profound impact questions have on our lives. It starts with the speaker's personal routine to be energized before recording, emphasizing the importance of questions in directing our focus and shaping our reality. The speaker explains that our brain functions as a filter, using the reticular activating system (RAS) to determine importance. Questions act as spotlights, directing our attention and perception, which in turn influences our emotions and actions. The speaker shares an anecdote about noticing pug dogs more frequently after questioning why they were sent pictures of them, illustrating how questions can change our reality. The paragraph concludes by inviting the audience to use questions consciously as a tool for directing focus and achieving desired outcomes.
π‘ Questions as Catalysts for Positive Outlook and Decision Making
The speaker delves into how the nature of questions we ask can frame our attitudes and assumptions about problems, suggesting that empowering questions foster a positive outlook and open up possibilities. They contrast questions like 'How can I make this work?' with 'Why does this always happen to me?' to highlight the difference in empowerment and agency. The paragraph further explains that questions influence our decisions by directing our focus to different aspects of a situation, such as risks or opportunities. It also touches on how questions can trigger emotional responses and the importance of asking questions that can lead to personal growth, innovation, and deepened relationships.
π€ The Art of Asking Strategic Questions
This paragraph focuses on the strategic use of questions in various life situations. The speaker encourages the audience to consider the types of questions they ask in contexts like learning, problem-solving, decision-making, and relationships. They provide examples of questions that could enhance learning, such as 'What's the best use of this moment?' for productivity, and 'What's most important to you in life?' for relationships. The speaker also mentions the importance of being mindful of the questions we ask ourselves and others, as they shape our interpretations and interactions with the world.
π Problem Solving and Decision Making Through Inquiry
The speaker explores the role of inquiry in problem-solving and decision-making. They suggest asking questions that challenge assumptions, such as 'What assumptions am I making about this problem?' and 'How would someone I respect approach this problem?' The paragraph emphasizes the importance of asking new and unique questions to gain novel insights. The speaker also discusses the value of considering long-term impacts, core values, and overcoming fear when making decisions. They conclude by highlighting the significance of questions in personal growth and innovation.
π Harnessing Questions for Personal Development
In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the use of questions for personal development across various aspects of life, including mental health, physical health, productivity, and conflict resolution. They provide specific examples of questions that can be asked to improve mood, identify sources of stress, enhance physical vitality, and increase productivity. The speaker also touches on the importance of asking questions that lead to actionable insights and the power of questions in goal setting and overcoming obstacles.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Questions
π‘Reticular Activating System (RAS)
π‘Perception
π‘Emotions
π‘Decision Making
π‘Learning
π‘Problem Solving
π‘Innovation
π‘Relationships
π‘Mental Health
π‘Productivity
Highlights
The importance of questions in shaping our reality by influencing focus, perception, and emotions.
The brain as a deletion device, filtering information through the reticular activating system (RAS).
The concept that questions act as a spotlight, directing attention to specific aspects of our environment.
The idea that the questions we ask can change our perception and reality, such as noticing pug dogs after being asked about them.
Questions as tools to consciously direct our focus and attention, leading to different emotional responses.
The exercise involving focusing on red and green objects to demonstrate how questions shape our perception.
The 'red car theory' illustrating how asking questions about specific items can make us notice them more frequently.
The impact of the types of questions on framing our attitudes and perceptions about problems.
How empowering questions can encourage a positive outlook and open up possibilities.
The role of questions in influencing our decisions by highlighting different aspects of a situation.
The emotional response triggered by questions and how they can be used in personal and professional relationships.
Questions as a catalyst for learning and growth by challenging existing beliefs and requiring the integration of new information.
The potential of questions to create opportunities and drive innovation by asking new and unique questions.
The use of questions to deepen relationships through empathy and understanding.
The concept that the questions we ask can shape our interpretation and interaction with the world.
The exercise of creating questions for various life situations to enhance learning, problem-solving, decision-making, and more.
The importance of being mindful of the questions we ask ourselves daily and their impact on our thoughts and actions.
Transcripts
you've heard the phrase questions are
the answer the reason why I feel
questions besides changing your body
like every time before I start recording
I always do my my cross crawls and my
super brain yoga and I take my you know
my supplements and I do the things to be
energized and present for you um I I the
other part of it is not just your
physiology or psychology and a lot of
those my psychology I could ACC credit
to the power of questions so again let
me give you the the the background and
then we'll do an
exercise and my dog is really
obnoxiously lot aside you have about
60,000 thoughts a day and a lot of those
thoughts come in the form of questions
and the reason why questions are so
important is because your brain
primarily is a deletion
device the theory I have is that we're
trying to keep information out because
if we let everything in we would be
overloaded overwhelmed we would go
insane if we there's a billion things
you could focus on or think about
there's a spotlight feature of your
brain it's a filter called the reticular
activating system Ras which you've heard
other people talk about it's part of
your brain and it determines what's
important to you so for example your
name is hardwired into your Ras so
whenever you hear your name even if you
don't recognize the voice you're still
going to respond because it's hardwired
your nervous system because it's
important um and the other way of
highlighting things are through the
power of questions you you've heard this
story that and I've said it on in the
lives where my sister who happens to be
visiting um he would send me these
pictures of of pug dog right and then I
started sending these pug dogs
everywhere because I started asking the
question you know why she send me all
these photos of pug dogs and the idea
here is I was deleting it it wasn't
important until I started to ask
questions about it then I started seeing
them everywhere well what's in your
reality or in your environment that is
important to you that you're not you're
deleting like those like I am was doing
those pug dogs and one of the ways of
doing that is to activate these
questions so questions sign a shin of
spotlight
so the way I look at questions the
questions we ask play a very pivotal
role in shaping our reality by
influencing our Focus influencing our
perception and influencing how we feel
because it depending on what you focus
on is going to it's going to affect how
you feel right if you focus on things
you're grateful for you're going to feel
different than if you're focused asking
questions like what could harm you or
what could go wrong and you're in that
fear mode right it's going affects how
you focus it affects how you perceive it
focuses it fects how you act and how you
feel so questions
naturally I use them as a tool
consciously and that's my invitation to
you because at some point you're doing
it already I'm just pointing out as a
coach what you're doing when you're
doing it you know well to get a result
that you want it's getting you closer to
what you want so it it it helps you to
direct your focus so n so questions
naturally direct your attention when we
ask ourselves something specific our
brain works to find answers and it
concentrates on the elements related to
that question so for example if you ask
what went wrong right your mind focuses
on the problems the mistakes the
failures conversely what went well
shifts your attention to the successes
what can be positively built upon right
um I mean here's an exercise I was uh
speaking at a Tony Robbins event and he
was saying and do this like uh like
right now look around look around your
environment right now quickly and look
at everything that is read just red
anything that's red just look around
your environment red red red red red
what's red anything any clothing
carpenting or it's Automotive what's red
just count as many things you have red
and then everyone close your eyes and
then I want you to name everything in
your environment that is
green so the idea here is um how you can
open your eyes and you probably see a
lot more green but what we what we ask
questions about you know what is red
what is red we start to get the answers
and that becomes our reality it's
there's something called red car Theory
some of you have heard of it um it's the
idea where if you did Drive recently
over the past 24 hours which many of us
have um did you pass a right car and do
you really know right but let's say you
were going to drive later today and I
said okay you're going to get and I know
this is an international crowd so you
can do your own current you're going to
get $100 for every red car that you
spot you're going to be looking for
those red cars right because you're
asking the question where are the red
cars and the idea here behind questions
for focus is what you ask ask and you
shall receive right um the questions
also besides that and then we'll go to
the exercise is it frames your
perception meaning the types of
questions we ask can frame our attitudes
our perceptions about something so
empowering questions encourage see you
I've said this a long time ago um that
the problem is often not the problem the
problem is usually our attitudes or
assumptions about the problem right and
those are things I want to question so
empowering questions encourage a
positive outlook that can open up
possibilties so for
instance how can I make this work
instills a sense of agency right a sense
of personal um Power and purpose while
questions like why does this always
happen to me
uh it I don't know say it like why does
this always happen to me I just feel
like I don't have a lot of power I can't
I don't have agency I don't I I I I'm
feel like something's happening to me
like I'm a victim um and I have a more
and it feels more passive it actually
feels I haven't said this like why does
it happen to me for a while so I'm just
kind of leaning into it but it feel it
feels like I I can't do anything because
I feel um powerless why does this always
happen to me and so it so number one
questions direct your focus like I said
what went wrong what what can I be
grateful for what went well the second
thing it frames perceptions meaning how
can I make this work is different than
why does this always happen to me um
third question the third thing that I
think questions do it influences our
decisions so what do I mean by that
questions influence the decisions we
make because it highlights it sends a
spotlight to
to there's always infinite knowledge
about a subject right and so we're only
looking at a certain part of that
knowledge base and so um it highlights
different aspects of the situation so
let's influencing decisions I could ask
questions like what are the risks right
if I ask what could go wrong or what are
the risks I'm going to more likely focus
on safety right um if I'm asking what
are the opportunities instead I could
lead to more calculated risks and
embrace you know new Solutions out of
the box thinking Innovation so on um and
then
finally questions I would say number
four they I want to remind you they
trigger emotions all right and then so
it's not just the questions you ask
yourself it's questions you ask your
family your team your uh potential
customers right it's asking you know the
idea here is you know you've heard this
it's not M two you have two ears and one
mouth because you're supposed to listen
twice as much you ask a question and let
people talk because often those answers
are there so the questions that we
Ponder can trigger specific emotional
responses and we know people buy you
know primarily
emotionally um especially
elephants um questions that focus on
fears or doubts or past you know
challenges can generate anxiety and
sadness conversely questions about hope
you know like what lights you up uh one
of my favorite questions even I don't
like small talk I'm just I'm just not
really good at it um and I think people
could tell but I was just at an event
recently and I my questions are like you
know you know what what's lighting you
up nowadays you know passions projects
and so on um so I ask those questions
and I hear about people's hopes their
dreams their potential achievements and
it produces excitement you know Joy
motivation and then questions I would
say number five another benefit of
asking the right questions and I'll go
through my process
um it it amplifies and accelerates
learning and growth by asking let's say
exploratory and reflective questions we
Foster learning and personal growth
because that's what curiosity is right
uh somebody who's curious asks a lot of
questions uh you kids just asking me why
why why why why which is a strategy by
the way asking like five or six or seven
wise to get down to the root of of of of
a situation um but questions could
challenge your exist existing beliefs uh
are require us to integrate new
information like is like I've asked a
question like what's uh one plus one
like it's all 11 right but like here's
the thing like because most people would
say that it's absolutely two and I was
having a conversation with a friend the
other day and they're like well let's
say you have a drop of water and you
added to another drop of water how many
drops of water do you have right or you
have a cloud that merges with another
Cloud one and one and then you don't
have two anymore you want Cloud right so
it's the idea here is questions allow
you to to see something from new point
of view and it can enhance your learning
and growth questions that challenge your
existing beliefs um and this kind of
inquiry is crucial for I think personal
growth personal development um questions
could also create
opportunities I think it's the basis of
all Innovation where asking the right
questions can open up a new opportunity
so let's say in a professional setting
asking about ways to improve processes
or develop new products can lead to
Innovations and advancements like it
it's like uh somebody not in the
automotive space like an Elon or
whatever looking in and asking a new
question like if we're going to create a
car an automobile today how would we go
about doing it right and they won't have
the same blinders as everybody there's a
book called the structure Scientific
Revolution that says most Innovation
comes from people outside the industry
because if you're inside the industry
you're going to get the same education
and same beliefs of what's possible and
then finally questions as I use them is
also could deepen
relationships um I mean just think about
even if you have a team you're
interviewing people right they're asking
you questions you're asking them
questions if you're going on a date
there's questions and questions um
questions that we ask can affect the
depth and quality of our relationships
professional and personal so when you're
doing this inquiry deeply into someone's
uh experiences their thoughts their
feelings their strengths their
connections their empathy it Fosters
empathy and understanding right so in
essence the questions that we choose to
focus on shape how we interpret and
interact with the world all right so
that that that's my um that's my case
for why questions are the answer and why
they're so important because again we
have 60,000 thoughts a day and a lot of
those thoughts come in the form of
questions and the challenge is we're not
mindful of the questions we're asking so
what I wanted to do is an
exercise let's take random
situations all right let's say um and
you could write these down if you like
cuz I'm just going to free flow are you
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let's say learning is a situation so
like what so write this down learning
and then come up with one learning
question you're not limited to one but
like what's a question you could ask
that would enhance learning and then
problem solving we all are facing some
kind of difficulty or demand or some
kind of challenge so when faced with a
challenge asking the right question can
open up a new
solution decision making like when
you're faced with making a
decision what's the question that you
ask yourself so what I'm asking you to
do here and notice I'm asking with a
question is to just create one question
per situation you want to learn
something what's your question that
could lead to Better Learning you're
facing a problem what's a question that
you could ask
yourself um you're facing a
decision it could be
relationships what's a thoughtful
question that can enhance your
understanding or empathy um like for me
and my Rel relationships asking like
what's most important to you in life is
very important like I need to know that
for people that are like in my family
because that's their values right and
that's how they make all their decisions
so a favorite question of mine in
relationships is what's most important
to you in Life or what's most important
to you in family or what's most
important to you in a relationship and
some people will say respect some people
you know will say Fun Some people say
safety some people would say Adventure
that's very important information CU
then I could ask another question like
what has to happen in order for you to
feel safe you know or or trusted you
know or what has to happen in order for
you to feel like you're having fun right
and then people will give you their
answers it's it's it goes beyond Like
Love
Languages um so if you want to so these
are the where I have set questions I
have have questions for learning a lot
of them questions from um proposed uh
some kind of challenge or problem I have
questions I
ask have questions and relationships I
have questions even about my mental
health like self-reflection through
questions can help identify sources of
stress or unhappiness and lead to better
mental health outcomes right and so what
kind of questions can you ask to improve
your mood you know help you'd focus on
things that will get you in that
parasympathetic more more
gratitude um physical health what are
questions you know questions about it
could be about symptoms that might you
might be or lifestyle or treatments that
can lead to Better Health outcomes
productivity like if I let's say I want
I'm floundering throughout the day and I
want to say how do I get more productive
right now what's the question you could
ask like a favorite question of mine is
what's the best use of this moment and
it forces that question forces me to to
uh lean into some something that's a
little bit more productive um conflict
resolution if you're having a spirited
debate with somebody what's the question
you ask them or ask of yourself and it's
nice to have these pre you know
subscribed
because when you're in the state of
anger or upset sometimes we don't you
know go there um but sometimes in
conflict resolution it's like you know
thinking about what do you want do you
want to you want to be Bri or do you
want to be in love or like what's the
question that's going to get you out
because or like a question like who are
you who you're committed to being maybe
it's compassionate it's loving athetic
and then the the behavior takes care of
itself if you choose in that moment that
question forces you to be remind you how
important relationship is you know
sometimes we say things out of because
all learning in life is State dependent
you're in that state remember when they
say when you're angry don't send an
email don't send it you know don't text
that person don't make that call um give
it a chance to you know harmonize and
then and then follow up so all of these
you know crisis if there's a crisis you
know what's the right questions that
could clarify a situation you know and
so like like and so you can think about
that and you could write some of these
questions down you certainly could share
it also is there like a kind of a go-to
question you know some of mine which is
taking knowledge turn into Power is like
how can I use this whenever I'm
listening sting and even this how can I
use this why must I use this when will I
use this you know and I put in my
calendar cuz if it doesn't happen so
like for questions for learning besides
how can I use this when will I use this
why must I use
this um how can I learn to listen more
and talk less great question when should
I not use this great question absolutely
you know other questions could be like
what knowledge do I need to fully un to
better understand this concept right how
how does this information connect to
what I already know is another question
to relate it because all learning is
taking something outside yourself and
connect conting it to something inside
connecting something unknown outside to
something that you know right that's why
metaphors and stories work so well um
and another question you know like in
what real life scenarios can I apply
this this knowledge or this information
to right then all a sudden if I don't
ask that question I'm not going to get
that that answer right even even 10x is
easier than 2x which is a future book
we're going through the idea here is
achieving 10x of anything is easier than
2x cuzz 2x you have to work harder right
but you can't possibly work harder to
10x your income or 10x your health or
10x whatever you have to ask a new
question in order to get there right
it's that idea um Peter teal who's you
know one of the famed uh investors Angel
Investors United States he's like if I
had to reach my 10-year goal but I only
I I only had six months to do it how
would I go about doing it right so and
you ask a new question and you ask a
question no one's ever asked before
you're get an answer no one's ever
gotten before right like let's say
another category besides learning was
problem solving and some of my favorite
questions for problem solving is like
what assumptions am I making about this
problem right because it it might not be
true right like that maybe if I have a
conflict with somebody maybe that person
I B in my head that that person's out to
get me and everything else like that but
you know what they say about assume
right oh here's a question I ask we're
problem solving all the time how would
somebody that's you know 10 times
smarter than me in this about this
subject approach this issue and then I'm
just like I'm all over that how can
somebody I what how would someone I
respect approach to this problem right
then all of a sudden it gives me
permission to step in and ask a new
question and I think about you know
certain avatars in my mind um then I I
just in a way relate to them or
associate them or learn from them or
some people go as far as channeling you
know like what they that person would do
but that's that's What actors do right
and actors get paid you know at least
when your best of what you do you know a
lot of money and what do they do they
they pretend to be somebody else and
they ask questions like what's this
person's motivation right they they
model that genius so problem solving
questions what assumptions do I have uh
how would somebody that's twice as smart
as me or someone I really respect
approach this problem another question
is what am I not seeing like I love I
ask this question a lot you know what
what haven't I considered yet that might
be crucial and then I ask that question
and I and I get an answer because I
never asked that question like what am I
blocking like what am I refusing to pay
attention to like consciously or
unconsciously so you know that's
learning that's problem solving I
mentioned decision making and some of
you are very familiar with um you know
six thinking hats and some of the
decision trees that I have and Limitless
and we've done decision making and we
have programs on these on productivity
talking about decision- making but you
know things like what what's the
potential impact of this decision in
five years I I don't think a lot of
people ask that question you know that's
the the idea behind Seven Generations
right like what's the impact we're
making over the next seven generations
is part of your decision if you're
looking because it forces me now look
you know in decades and and centuries
you know which option of the solutions
here align most closely with my core
values you know what would I what would
I choose if I weren't
afraid or or scared of of failing you
know and then I mentioned mental health
I mean what are some questions you could
ask to improve your mental your own
mental health maybe things like what
what activities make me feel recharged
and and more Balan baned um how are my
thoughts affecting my mood and my energy
who can I reach out to when I need to
talk about something right like it's
just these questions physical health
same thing and like what I'm thinking
about for my physical vitality and you I
just got back from travel I got to
travel three continents
in three
days yay um I'm you know I'm thinking
about like what small changes can I make
uh while I'm traveling to improve my
overall all health and then but if I
don't ask that question I'm not going to
just randomly come up with the Sol so if
I ask the question doesn't mean I'm
going to come up with the answer but if
I don't ask the question there's there's
no chance I'm going to just come across
you know when I when I need if I'm not
you know like mindful about it so um you
know how does my body react to different
travel or situations or diet or whatever
you know what health goals what health
goals am I committed to achieving this
year you know um productivity questions
what is currently the biggest drain on
my productivity I'll go there um because
I think I I'm a big believer in the 8020
role that 20% of your efforts give you
80% of the results and it's 20% of the
you know the situations that are giving
us 80% of the kind of bottleneck so you
know what's what's the what's the
biggest drain of my productivity and and
what can I do to mitigate it you know um
like how like let's say you don't want
to work out or you don't you you don't
want to exercise or move because it's
important of brain ask you know how can
I do this but enjoy it and then all of a
sudden you think about like you know
taking a dance class or some playing
pickleball whatever right you come up
with ideas that wouldn't be that'll get
you out of your normal kind of kind of
space so I just feel like it's important
to have questions for the categories
that are important to you whether it's
innovation personal finance conflict
resolution goal setting you know like
what what poten obstacles can I face and
how can I overcome them you know how
will I measure my progress and know to
celebrate when I you know when I reach
this goal um I feel like a lot of this
could be valuable
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