What’s Your Question?

As a coach, I often do homework inquiries with my clients. What are homework inquiries? They are powerful questions asked in between our coaching calls to help clarify or find answers to what you are seeking. They are meant to be used as a reflection exercise to explore an important area of your life for a period of time. Many times I ask my clients to post this question around their house, office, car and other various locations. This is to ensure they are thinking about their question during different times of the day and in different environments. It’s amazing what you can uncover if your truly focus on this one question.

For some people, meditation produces the same results especially if you tend to meditate for long periods throughout the day. You may be the type of person who meditates for an hour first thing in the morning and then again for another hour in the afternoon and/or evening. For others, just taking the time to reflect on your question in the morning and again before going to bed is enough. Whatever format you choose to use in exploring your question just make sure it works for you.

So what are the right questions to ask to help in this discovery process? There are millions of questions to choose from and creating your own question can also be quite effective. As a coach, I believe every person has the answers within but may need the right environment or system in place to help locate those answers. Designing your own question may be your best option because on some level you already know what you are seeking. For others, using inquiries given to you can also be just as effective in tapping into your creativity. Below are a few of the homework inquiries I use:

• What do you have to have in your life to feel whole or fulfilled?
• What does success mean to you?
• If I were at my best, what would I do right now?
• What type of life would I be living if I honored my values?
• What keeps me from winning or succeeding?

After jotting your question down and reflecting on it for a week or so you can even take it even one step further. For example, let’s take the question “What does success mean to you?”

1) When you figure out what your definition of success is then jot down reasons why this is important to you.
2) Next, think about the things you are willing to give or give up to help create this “success.”
3) List the challenges or obstacles that may stand in your way of reaching this success.
4) Lastly, be sure to write out the steps you are going to take to make it happen!

So I ask you “what is your question?” What answers are you seeking? Where do you feel stuck in your life right now? Take time to reflect on this and try to create your own question. Remember the answers lie within it just takes focus and perseverance to find them!