Questions can be powerful. They speak volumes. What do you think of when you hear “Got Milk?” and “Where’s the beef?” Some questions are annoying….like “Are we there yet?” or Why?”
Questions are essential to learning. They give us answers, opinions and clarification. However, we’ve all asked questions at some point and been told that what we are asking is a “stupid question”. I think the only questions that are stupid are the ones we don’t ask. Getting answers to questions connects our thinking and enables us to solve problems. Remember the School House Rock theme song? “It’s great to learn cause knowledge is power!”
Asking a question releases an energy. You must release the energy in order to move forward. You must ask. Once you ask it, you may become consumed with getting it answered. It may take a while and you may not get an answer that satisfies you, but you will learn an amazing amount of relevant knowledge in the process. It is better to gain knowledge by pursuing the unanswerable than to never have asked at all. (Yeah – I made that up. You can quote me ;) )
Don’t Give Up
Smart folks never give up. Albert Einstein once said “It’s not that I’m so smart , it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” He was credited for being highly intelligent, but Einstein himself admits that endurance was the key to getting his questions answered. He never gave up.
The Benefits of Asking
In finding your answer, you may even learn something completely new that sparks interest. And because you asked and are seeking, things will start to show up in your world that will point you towards the answer. It’s very much like the exercise from “Color Me Pink” where you close your eyes and concentrate on a color and suddenly it starts jumping out at you when you open them again. When you start looking for answers, you will make others around you aware of what you are after and that causes them to start thinking about it. It creates an awareness so that when something shows up in their world that is relevant to your question, they will be more than happy to pass that information on to you.
Asking questions has more benefits than just gaining knowledge. Not only do you learn and improve your world, but you may also help someone else along the way. And someday, you will be the expert on the receiving end of the questions and that will be your opportunity to pass the knowledge on to the next generation.
Ask and you shall receive. Don’t be shy. There are tons of people out there in your field who are more than willing to offer you advice, share their success stories and reveal solutions. If one person won’t help, find another mentor who will. It’s all out there for the asking.
What Do You Want To Know?
No one ever made it to the top of the success ladder without asking a few questions along the way. If you need a great place to start getting answers, try the Girl Talk Forums or search for web sites that can teach you about your interest. Find a teacher, friend or family member who is already doing what you want to do and shadow him or her. Talk to them, spend time with them and ask a lot of questions. Find out everything you can so when it’s your turn to shine you will already be prepared. Go on – ask!
