Want To Know My Favorite Question?

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The sign on the blackboard said “When you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always got!” That really got my attention and resonates with me to this very day. I love the invitation!

It was years ago (I’m not telling you how many, but trust me, it’s really been quite a few!) when I was prepping for participation in my son’s pre-school program. And as I have pondered the wisdom of that statement through the years, I realized that the power of change is in using the brain as a road map to the future rather than as a record of the past!

Hence, my favorite question!

My clients hear it all the time and have come to know it as “my favorite question”. Why? Because coaching is all about POTENTIAL, about moving forward towards what is really meaningful and holds high impact for positive change and happiness in life.

It doesn’t matter what the situation, the history, the story, the complaint, or the pattern is. With 40% of our brain being our creativity center focused on delivering answers to our questions and also crafting ideas and visualizations, the powerful question that sparks that solution seeking region and grows us forward is always the same.

So what are you going to do about that?

Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? But its invitation and implications are huge. Why? Because we are always using our brain to prove to ourselves who we’ve always been or to demonstrate who we are ready to grow into. This question gets us out of our head, removing the limitations and illusion that we lack options, and instead settles us right into our heart and into choice – deciding what we want instead.

Consider my recent conversation.

I was talking to a potential client who was unhappy with the business levels of her massage practice. She had reason after reason why her business wasn’t successful. Every one of them seemed very legit to her. Every one of them was represented as out of her control; the economy, the neighborhood her office was in, the hours clients were available, the amount of disposable income they had, the fact that no one is willing to make their health a priority, no one visits her website: 11 reasons preventing her success.

It was a very fascinating conversation as she went on and on, never recognizing that she was the common denominator controlling her results. Not once did it dawn on her that her challenges were a result of just looking at “what is” without thinking about “what could be” and what it would take to get there.

It was fascinating indeed! She was stopping herself short of success with every internal and external conversation.

So guess what I did! I asked her my favorite question, So what are you going to do about that?, to each and every objection and limitation to success we revisited.

As new ways of approaching her circumstances dawned on her, she began to change her words, body language and energy. She was in solution seeking mode, back in the driver’s seat of her life and all lit up. She is now fully focused on where she is going. That is the power of this question!

But asking the question So what are you going to do about that? isn’t enough. It’s a great start and more is required.

Allow the question to trigger the preferences that live in your heart. Your heart is where all your authentic power lies! What outcome do you desire instead of the current challenge? Identify what is deeply important to you and worth your commitment and effort. Make it personal, make it powerful.

And what’s next? Action. Action that has you looking at a situation with fresh eyes focused on an end result of what you are ready to experience. A strong will married to committed action steps will shift your focus, build momentum, shape your confidence and root you into a world of possibilities where you keep moving in the direction of your desire.

If you are ready for change, for more, for something new, know that you are no longer limited to what has been. Begin to ask yourself So what am I going to do about that? every single time you are experiencing a situation where the consequences of having more of the same are too costly. You’ll be so glad you did!

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1 Comment.

  • What a great (and simple) question. I can see where this would be especially helpful in periods of “overwhelm”. Thank you for the concrete example and explanation. I will be asking myself this question more often!

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