Tony Robbins once said, “The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of questions you are asking yourself”
And the more I think about it – the more truth I find in that statement. But not just the questions you ask yourself, but the questions you ask in general.
This is all about your MINDSET – so let’s get into it.
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When you ask certain questions, you convey a message to your subconscious.
For example, In Rich Dad Poor Dad, instead of saying the statement: “I can’t afford this”, change it into a question:
“How can I afford this?”
That is such a small tweak!
But what happens is when you reword it that way, it unlocks the portion of your brain that problem-solves and you start to look for solutions.
Negative statements shut down your brain to thinking.
There are tons of questions we receive via email or through social media. I want to break some of them down as to what they are, a better way to ask that question, and what you may be telling your subconscious if you aren’t careful.
Question #1: “How much does it cost?”
Better way to phrase it: “How much value will I receive from it?”
Obviously we aren’t talking about a piece of fruit or something in a grocery store here. I am talking about if, for example, you are interested in learning about your financial future, looking at the cost of how much a seminar is, a stock market course.
After you figure how much value you will receive from something, it no longer matters how much it will cost it will now matter if you value the amount of VALUE that you will receive from it.
For example, I have a Lamborghini parked outside and I tell you I am selling it, the wrong question to ask is: “How much does it cost?”
The right question to ask would be: “How much is that car worth?”
Then you start to think about how much value YOU will receive. If you knew that car could sell for $200K and there was nothing wrong with it, and it was now selling for $150K… you now could turn around and sell it and make $50K.
If you don’t know what the value is worth to you, any price would be too much.
Question #2: “Does this work?”
Better way to phrase: “How do I make it work for me?”
We receive this question quite often when we host webinars or courses… and you definitely want to phrase this question the second way.
There are a lot of things out there that didn’t work for someone else. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.
By asking, “Does this work?” you are activating the comparison side of your brain that says “Well that person did it and it didn’t work so it DEFINITELY won’t work for me.”
By asking, “How can I make it work for me?” you are now looking for positive solutions that work for YOU personally, even if that means you are the first person to make it work.
Question #3: “If you’re so good at this, why are you teaching it?”
Better way to phrase: “If I am going to learn this, who do I want to teach me?”
I have seen this question posed to me and many others before, too. And this question, when not rephrased, really gets to me.
Do you want someone who is a failure at whatever you are trying to learn teach it to you?? No. That doesn’t make sense.
You go to the person who is having success to teach you!
Failures don’t have seminars – and even if they did, no one would pay to attend.
That is why, to me, that is one of the dumbest questions you can ask, “Why is a successful person teaching?” Uhhh… because he is successful and has some stuff to show you??
Why would you ask a Business Professor, “If you’re so good at business, why are you teaching it?”
I could go on and on… but I think you get the point.
If you ask who it is you want to teach you – guaranteed you will not be looking at failures in that industry.
Question #4: “Why isn’t this free?”
Better way to phrase: “What are the differences between the free and the paid version?”
Jim Rohn once said, “If I wrote a book about how to have good health or save yourself from having a heart attack, how much is that book worth? Would you say $19.99?? The information PRICELESS if it saves your life. But $19.99 is the cost to publish and distribute it.”
There is free information out there. We have free information on YouTube, on our blog, and our podcast, too.
But what’s the difference between the paid and the free information?
The paid has community, it has clarity, is easy to navigate around, has questions to your answers, has structure to take you from A to Z, has convenience… and so much more.
But why isn’t that version free?? Well, anyone who understands business, like Jim Rohn, knows there’s cost to distribute all of that information and structure.
For example, I will take our educational platform, Power Trades University. There is web hosting fees, software that controls usernames, security licenses, payment processors, customer service personnel, recording software, membership software…. it goes on… but all of it costs money!
Question #5: “Why is this happening to me?”
Better way to phrase: “What is the universe trying to tell me?” or “Why not me?”
If you ask that question the first way when something bad is happening to you, you are subconsciously telling your brain “I am better than everyone else, this should happen to someone less special”.
But if you rephrase it, “What is the universe trying to tell me?” You may find bad habits you need to stop, or what’s happening is really a warning so you can stop before something horrible happens. Like a speeding ticket can prevent a horrible car crash.
If something positive happening to you and you ask “Why is this happening to me? I don’t deserve this positive thing”. You are telling yourself you are less than others and unworthy.
Instead if you ask, “Why not me?” I deserve this, or the Creator feels you should be blessed.
Or “What is the universe trying to tell me?” means keep doing the positive actions that you are already doing. Maybe you are always helping others and now it’s time people want to do nice things for you.
What’s the point?
I want you to think about the quality of questions you are asking yourself as you go through life and try to better yourself.
WORDS have POWER.
Be conscious of questions that promote negative thinking and stifle you.
Think alternatively: think of how you can rephrase the same question to think positively and try and find solutions.
If you do, you will be surprised at what doors open up for you just by tweaking your thinking and the questions you are asking.
I want you to have a better quality of life and it starts with the quality of questions you ask.