How Questions Help You to Rethink Your Purpose, so it Feeds Your Success
The author Dr. John C. Maxwell, writes, "The very moment that you make the shift to finding your purpose, growing to your potential, and helping others, successful is something you are right now, not something you vaguely hope one day to be."
Maxwell has spent over 25 years working with high performers. He intimately understands not only what success looks like but what it takes to become a success.
Let me be clear that success does not look the same for everyone. Why? Because we are unique individuals with unique wants and needs.
Why Questions Give You a Huge Advantage
Maxwell notes what looks the same for everyone that achieves success is the process:
- Knowing your purpose.
- Growing to reach your maximum potential.
- Sowing seeds that benefit others.
This process for success is a tasty recipe. Why? Because it demonstrates that success is not a destination - it is a remarkable journey. It is one that is plagued by long stretches in the valley and agonizing treks up a steep mountain.
When you reach the summit of your journey, it is breathtaking. It is what the author Robin Sharma labels "The rare air of world-class."
What is next? Your mindset shifts. You go from thinking, "I am just not good enough." to "What else can I do?" Do not stop at one question; the elite performers use questions to disrupt lazy thinking.
The author Warren Berger writes, "Questions challenge authority and disrupt established structures, processes, and systems, forcing people to at least think about doing something differently." Berger employs a Why, What if, How System to help you think differently:
Why… Why did George Carlin see things you missed? Why does stepping back help you move forward?
What if… What if George Carlin just took the time to see things actively? What if stepping back helps you see the larger picture?
How.. How did George Carlin teach himself to see what you missed? How do you step back to see the forest and not the trees?
The questions are guides on your journey to success. They will help you understand your purpose, reach your maximum potential, and help others on their journey.
Why Are You Sabotaging The Journey
You wake up most mornings wanting to build towards success, but you are a slave of someone else's agenda. Your day is buried in busy work, peppered by constant disruptions, and thoughts of your inadequacies run unchecked.
By the end of your tortuous day, most of your energy is gone, and when you get home, you are greeted by the comforting sounds of, "Why am I always taking two steps back?" And you believe it.
Here is where your fixed mindset does you a stunning disservice. Success is elusive. It plays coy in the agenda of other people. It hides in the busywork.
It seduces you with thoughts of inadequacy. And yes, it taunts you with hurtful words. Most people are easily persuaded to give up and live an average life, ignoring the chorus of regret.
Why are you ignoring the chorus? What if you decided not to live an average life? How do you build an extraordinary life?
The questions will help you to find your purpose, grow to your potential, and help others. When you use questions as a tool, success becomes something you are right now, not a vague dream.