Boost Your Bottom Line by Asking Powerful Questions

Copyright ? 2005 Kathy Paauw

"He who asks questions cannot avoid the answers."
-African Proverb

Powerful questions yield powerful answers. Here's an example...

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My beloved grandson, the battle inside every person is between two wolves. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, false pride, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee gently grasped the boy's shoulder and replied, "The one you feed."

Are you getting the results you want in your life? Do the questions you ask get to the bottom line?

Last December I wrote an article called The Power of Personal Accountability. In the article, I mentioned that asking the right questions can help us find the right answers. After publishing this article, one of my subscribers -- Lee Wise -- sent me a list of powerful inquiries he wrote. Lee has graciously given me permission to share them with you.

There is great power in asking a good question, especially when asked in the form of an inquiry. (An inquiry is a question you ask over and over, that does not necessarily have one "right" answer.) The potential for meaningful change may lie before you in the form of your own seriously considered answer to a selected question. Any one response to any of these questions can have a powerful impact on your life.

Here are Lee's questions...

19 GOOD QUESTIONS FOR LIVING THE GOOD LIFE
(Asking Just The Right Question To Get Just What You Desire)
? Lee Wise All rights reserved.
http://abeautifulmomentintime.blogspot.com

What one small thing is holding me back from doing my best today?

What one small thing is hindering me from becoming the person I be could be today in one area of my life?

What action could I take today to brighten someone's world? (Key: make it simple, doable, and even fun!)

How can I double my value as a ___________ this year? *As a... husband, father, employee, friend, etc. Suggestion: ask this question many, many times.

Where should I influence my world in a positive way?

Are negative thinking patterns eating away my potential in any area of my life -- no matter how small?

Am I saying "I can't" when I should be saying "I can" or "I must!" anywhere in my life?

My greatest area of tension at work or home right now is ____. How could I improve just 10% in this area?

What positive discipline have I let slip lately? What price am I paying for this slip?

Where can I, or should I, make a positive difference?

If I took a thirty second "happy memory break" right now, what would I remember?

How can I schedule a small break in my life -- just enough to be refreshed and recharged a bit?

What untapped potential could I bring to my world?

Am I learning what I need to learn?

Are my associations making me or breaking me?

Who is challenging me or inspiring me right now? Who could?

Should I procrastinate on anything, or set aside anything, that is not important for what is most important?

Is there anything I should stop doing?

Am I out of balance anywhere in terms of striving to perform? Am I seeking a standard of excellence in the right way, for the right reasons?

Use these strategies to get the best results...

Pay attention to your initial feelings about an inquiry you read.

Should you notice a "first impression answer" that ushers in a sense of excitement, challenge -- or a deep sense of "I should do this" -- be sure to slow down your internal speed of life and park there a moment or two.

Repeating a question over and over sets in motion an on-going search to discover just the right answer for you.

Consider recording your thoughts in a journal.

Enjoy the process!

For additional reading about the power of asking the right questions, visit our article The Power of Personal Accountability at the link below.
http://www.orgcoach.net/newsletter/dec2004.html

About the Author:
Wouldn?t you love to stumble upon a secret library of ideas to help you de-clutter your life so you can focus on what?s most important? Kathy Paauw offers simple, yet powerful ideas, on how to manage your time, space, and thoughts for a more productive and fulfilling life. Visit http://www.orgcoach.net.
Kathy Paauw helps busy executives professionals and entrepreneurs de-clutter their schedules spaces and minds so they can focus on whats most important. She is an organizing productivity consultant certified professional personal coach and speaker. Contact her or visit her website at http:www.orgcoach.net or contact her at kathy@orgcoach.net and learn how you can find anything you file or store in 5 secondsguaranteed! 

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Success Secrets of the Rich and Happy If You're Asking "I Want to Be Rich But How"

I want to be rich but how can I be rich and happy with little or no effort?

That's the question - "I want to be rich but how", is what most people want answered, and they want it answered now! The thing is, first you need to determine, what does it mean to "be rich and happy"? Some people have all the money in the world, but they're not happy. Others have to scrape the bottom of the piggy bank every day, but they seem relatively happy. Because to be rich and happy both requires all six basic human needs to be met. So you need to ask yourself, where are you on a scale of 1-10, within each of the following basic human needs:

Need #1: The need for certainty.

We all have this need and we all find different ways to satisfy the need for certainty. Some of us fall into habitual schedules where we do the same things every day, which satisfies this basic need. Others turn to their religion for something to depend on but we all need to feel like there's something in our life to keep us stable, something we can depend upon. If you look back in your life and recognize that somehow you've always managed to pull yourself through the trials that life handed you, then you are more equipped later in life to feel certain about your own abilities. Of course, the greater life's difficulties that you've had to bear, the more certain you can feel about your own accomplishments.

Need #2: Just because God has a sense of humor, we also have a need for uncertainly.

Many people think that the secret to life is to make so much money that you don't have to work anymore. But, if you examine people who have actually accomplished this, you'll see that actually is NOT the secret to life. Folks that have all the money in the world without having to go to work anymore are notably unhappy. Why? Because they're bored.

The fact is that we see those people usually starting another career or business once they attain their "rich goal" because they're bored out of their mind. We all have a need for excitement and surprise, which is uncertainty. That's why many of us will watch a movie that we've seen before, because we're certain that it's good, but we hope that we've forgotten just enough to make it uncertain and surprising.

Need #3: We have the need for significance.

Many of us tend to stray in this area and try to find significance by taking a "short cut", as with violence. A man from the slums who was brought up with no feeling of significance about himself is likely to turn out this way, because, once he puts a gun to your head, suddenly he is significant, and with a lot less effort than the guy who has chosen to attain his PhD for significance. In some way, though, we all want to "stand out", if even just to appear to "be rich and happy". But are we really?

Need #4: The fourth fundamental human need is the need for love.

We all connect with something or someone. It could be a life partner, child, pet, or nature. But we need to satisfy that fundamental need for connection and love.

Be careful here, because sometimes conflict between needs 3 & 4 can keep you from your goal, "I want to be rich but how"...

Just as needs 1 & 2 are in opposition of each other, so is the same dilemma between needs 3 and 4. Some people who have found the life partner of their dreams often wind up in divorce because one partner may grow to have more significance over the other, and this depletes your own personal feelings of significance.

The above are the four fundamental needs, and we all manage to attain them, whether derogatory, or in a way to helps us grow and evolve.

Of course, if you can find a way to meet those needs to grow and evolve, then you're on your way to the real "success secrets of the rich and happy", because to be truly rich and happy depends on meeting needs 5 & 6, which most people rarely do.

Success Secrets of the Rich and Happy: "I want to be rich but how" By fulfilling 5 & 6!

Need #5: The need for growth.

If you have chosen the right direction to meet your first four basic human needs, then you're beginning to fulfill need number 5, the need for growth. And yes, this usually does take some time, but as they say, it's not the destination; it's the journey that is the real success secrets of the rich and happy.

Need #6: And finally, to truly be rich and happy, you need to give back to the world more than what you have received.

It is in giving that we receive. And I'm not just talking religious "gobbelty-gook" here. The fact is, if you track the lifestyles of those who have truly lived fulfilling lives, you will notice that their business practice included giving back to the world more in value than the dollar amount they receive. It's the reason why I'm writing this article.

Because I believe that we all deserve to be rich and happy in our life, and I'd like to show you the way I'm doing it.  Life is a journey, but it can be so rewarding when you begin learning how you can earn money while you grow, evolve  and give back - all at the same time!  The success secrets of the rich and happy are waiting for you when you CLICK THIS LINK and begin learning how 100% commissions (from a guy who preaches giving back more than you take, by the way) can put point you in the right direction as you learn how to be rich and happy!  So the next time you ask, "I want to be rich but how", you will know the answer if you've clicked the link above!

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