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About 25 years ago, I learned about the power of questions, and started using inquiry as a tool to direct my experiences in life. It's worked remarkably well. Lately this practice has popped up some daily synchronicity and lucky opportunities. Also, awe in nature – my favorite!
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There are mountains of esoteric knowledge around the idea that every question you ask yourself will be answered. Another way to understand this principle is that answers to your most compelling questions seem to 'manifest' in what you notice.
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And what we notice is largely due to our Reticular Activating System (RAS), a brain filter that brings to the fore of our awareness what we wonder about or need to know.
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"Your RAS directs attention toward information that aligns with current goals, interests, or survival needs." [link]
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And well-crafted questions can direct what our RAS looks for. Why not choose to look for the good (I'm thinking good-feeling folks can make positives things happen in the world better than the pissed off or downtrodden, so I hope you get to it).
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I've found help in achieving positive outcomes by asking myself questions that would by their very construction naturally beget the positive experiences I seek.
Example of a question that may beget a "meh" answer:
Why is this (negative thing) happening to me?
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Empowering alternative question:
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What can I do today to shift this situation?
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How could I ever climb Mount Everest?
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What kind of person climbs Mount Everest? How can I develop similar qualities?
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Meh-begetting question:
What is wrong with my (achy/overweight/aging) body?
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What part of me feels healthy and strong right now? What can I do with that?
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Why did that person do that!?
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Empowering alternative:
What can I learn from that person's actions, and my responses?
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And an lovely alternative for anyone, anytime: what am I grateful for in my life?
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But, please, don't take my word for it...
If you wanted to create a simple experiment to test this, I encourage you to construct a empowering question around something small and noticeable. Like, what kind of person gets a free Dunkin coffee? Write it down on paper or email it to yourself and be patient until results come in. By the way, it's cool to be a skeptic, the process will still work, you'll just rob yourself of the Eureka!
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Choosing something more memorable than coffee may be useful too.
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In one of my all time favorite books, Richard Bach's Illusions, the protagonist chooses seeing a blue feather as a test of RAS (though the characters didn't call it that, they were talking in spiritual terms).
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Sure enough, a blue feather appeared on a milk carton a few days later. Could a blue feather always on those milk cartons? Probably. Did the character only notice once he set himself on a simple question: "where will I see a blue feather?" Yes.
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If you'd like some coaching around developing empowering questions around your "yes, REALLY" goals, feel free to email me for a 90 minute consult and I'll send more info.
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With loving thanks to all my teachers and their teachers before them,
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More Text & Images
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Today is Easter Sunday, and I'm sitting at dining table, laptop nestled among mountains of near-folded clothes, purple and white towels, and underwear. I'm also sneaking in some writing time before everyone wakes up and creates a house of chocolate-bunny-fueled loudness and grease-stained place settings. And I can't help but wonder about what today means in from the deepest of …
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The types of explanations we received as kids about the mundane questions of life, alters how we develop our capacity for internal reasoning. Becoming educated with diversity of subjects, perspectives, and even a diversity of people is a well-rounded way to develop a calm and rational approach to life when you need it. Yesterday my 13 year old son yells …
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In the days of AI and excessive optimization, mess is leading edge.
Some content here is political, some personal, much of it philosophical, and all of it meant to shine some light into the lives of my readers, because it was written to shine light into mine.
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I hope my work stirs your soul, ignites your creativity, and helps you feel connected to all the good things this life can offer. If it doesn't, please promptly forget it!
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POLITICAL ACTION AREA It's likely best to plug into your local groups, and show up in the ways you can. Peaceful crowd sizes matter, as does your positive energy and adherence to non-violence.
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