Ask a Lot of Questions

How Being Curious and Skeptical Can Change Your Life…

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing“— Socrates

Five hundred years ago, people used to believe that the Earth was flat and that the sun revolved around the Earth. Think about your life: what did you use to believe as a child or at any moment, that you now know is completely wrong?

If in the past we were wrong, we are likely wrong in the present too. Just as your present self views the past as wrong, your future self will likely view your present as wrong.

Probably the way you currently exercise or study can be improved. Your actions can be better. Perhaps your beliefs are wrong and can be better.

The history of humankind has shown us that we often believed incorrect things. Your life can also demonstrate this. This can be applied to everything: science, art, your life, religion, etc.

“We are wrong about everything,” says Mark Manson in his book.

Great Discoveries came from Great Questions

Great discoveries came from questions that doubted what everyone used to believe: Christopher Columbus, Copernicus, Albert Einstein, and so on. Scientists know this; they ask big questions

Genius sees the answer before the question

“The function of genius is not to give new answers, but to pose new questions which time and mediocrity can resolve” — Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper

Where am I going with this? Ask more questions. We don’t need so many answers; we need more questions. Doubt everything.

Maybe you think this could be hard for you. I know it’s hard. But it is worth it. You find better opportunities and options.

Consider if your current actions and beliefs are the best, and there is nothing to improve. Would it be nice? Isn’t it better to know that we could improve and that there is always a better way, even if it is painful now?

What do you think?

However, I suggest you not overwhelm yourself with this. You will start seeing that everything can be questioned.

To avoid this:

• Ask a lot about what you are interested in
• Ask the most important questions
• Ask what is useful for you.

Benefits

Expand Curiosity

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” — Albert Einstein

Improve Critical Thinking

Asking a lot of questions and doubting about what people say is fundamental to Critical Thinking

Creativity and Innovation

You will start finding new options, seeing what others aren’t and the unknown.

Know Thyself

Who I am? Why I am here? What is my goal in life?

Correct Your Mistakes

As I mentioned before…

Improve your Methods

Remember: There will be always a better way to do it. You just need to find it. How? Ask Questions

Get the Best of your Mind

Questions push us into discomfort, and that brings out the best in our minds.

Implementation

Have you understood the power of questions?

Now Let’s talk how we can implement this

Types of Questions

Ask questions that work for your goals. What are your goals? Perhaps the benefits I’ve mentioned resonate with you, or maybe while you read this, you find something different

However, Here are some types of questions that I find interesting:

• Open-Ended Questions: What, Why, How, What if… You will need them a lot
• Big Questions: Those questions that are hard to answer. A big question is a big problem. A big problem requires a big solution. This is hard, but they are the most valuable
• Creative Questions: What makes you think in better and new possibilities? Ask those questions
• Personal Questions: This are to know thyself
• Ask Questions that People Want to Have an Answer: Having a questions is like having a problem to be solved. The most valuable skill in life is Problem-Solving. If you solve the problems of people, you succeed in life…
• Opens you to New and (hopefully) Better Possibilities
• Whatever Questions your Beliefs and Actions: Especially what you believe and do at most… If it is wrong, the more you believe it, the more chances you have to improve and create a significant impact in your life. But you must know this is hard and painful at first…
• Consider the Opposite:

Let’s explain this: Following the example of the student, suppose that you are studying late in the night because you want to learn some concept. What if Studying at the night not just doesn’t make you learn it, but also you forget what you have studied before, because you didn’t have a good night sleep. Another example would be you trying to stop overthinking by telling yourself “Don’t think”. You will notice that that’s worse. You should do the opposite.

This is an example where our actions go totally in a different direction that our goals, and we believe the opposite… and I dare say most of what we believe is completely the opposite: The sun doesn’t revolve around earth, it’s completely the opposite. The people that apparent being the happier are the most miserable

Consider the Opposite is Thinking that you are doing something completely wrong. It is Counterproductive

• Understand What you do, Why you do it, How you do it
• See the World in a different way and Try to Understand it…

Some Questions

Here you have some concrete questions about what we talk earlier

Big Questions

• What do you think happens after we die?
• What is the meaning of life to you?
• What does it mean to live a good life?
• What is your vision for the future of humanity?
• What is the ultimate goal of human existence?

Personal Questions

• Who am I?
• What is my greatest objective in life?
• What are my core values?
• What are my goals?
• Why do I do this?
• How do I define success for myself?
• What is my greatest achievement so far?
• What do I want to do with my life?

Creativity Questions

Use a lot of What If…

• What if… Imagine…
• What are other solutions? What are some unconventional solutions?
• If you could transform any public space in your city, what would you do to make it more enjoyable?
• If you could invent anything, what would it be and why?
• What is the book I always wanted to read and nobody wrote it?
• Why are people doing it this way? Why aren’t people doing it that way?
• Why do we believe this, and how can we find different opportunities?
• What would I see if I were outside the box?
• What if there is a better way to do this?

New and Better Possibilities

• How Can I Improve This? Is There a Better Way to Do it?
• How Can I Automate This?
• Same Why, Different How:

Here is the process I follow to find new solutions:

1. Why do I do this? Go to the fundamental of it.

When you have the answer, ask:

2. Which are other options to achieve those goals?

3. Is the current way the best for the reason I do it?

4. If not, what is the best way?

Example:

Imagine you are a student that is reading some text.

Why are you reading it? Because you want to understand a concept.

Which are other options to understand the concept? Maybe watch a video, ask to some person that knows about it, write about it, etc. Now you decide if you want to apply a different solution…

This could be used in anything. The point is trying to find better solutions….

Questions your Beliefs and Actions

• Why do I believe this?
• How did I end up believing this? Which are my limits and things that shaped me? People? Culture?
• How did I arrive here?
• What if I’m Wrong?
• The most powerful way to question them is consider the opposite…

Consider the Opposite

• What if all I am doing is completely wrong and in the opposite direction?
• What if the opposite of your current belief were true?

Conclusion

Another thing you can do is present questions to people. Offer more questions than answers. Don’t try to make others think like you. They may have different perspectives and interesting ideas, and together, you can come up with better solutions.

I’ve provided you with a lot of information: benefits, types of questions, examples, and more. Take what is useful for you…

However, if I were to give you a clear idea: adopt the mindset of a critical thinker. Ask a lot of questions.

No one can claim that something is completely true…

You’ll start seeing what others don’t, generating valuable ideas and paving your own way instead of just following the crowd. There are tons of things waiting to be uncovered, things that might seem obvious once you question what you believe. You’ve got the chance to be the one who brings them to light.