Life Changing Daily Active Questions

One sure way of getting better results in work and life is by changing our thoughts, actions and habits for the better. But that’s easier said than done. Many people just focus on making excuses, blaming and expecting others to change and this turns out to be futile.

In the past we did try to make our spouses, family members, bosses and friends change in the way that we wanted and we did not succeed, but when we decided to improve ourselves continuously, we won big time. The person that you really have control over is indeed yourself.

Remember the wise words of Mahatma Gandhi? He said “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” Listen to Michael Jackson singing the Man in the Mirror and you will find this valuable point “If you want to make the world a better place, take look at yourself and then make the change” Go ahead, take a look in the mirror or your selfie device and say out loud, “positive change starts with you.”

So, how can you succeed in making the change?

The secret lies in what you do daily. Now, allow to us share with you the daily questions process and tool that will help you make big wins by accumulating small wins.

In our work as executive coach, we teach people about the importance of self-reflection as a daily practice to becoming more successful. This daily practice that we teach comes in the form of the active questions. We do this process ourselves and it has made a world of difference for us.

We’ve discovered that asking ourselves active questions rather than passive questions, changes the focus of our answers and empowers us to make changes that we wouldn’t otherwise consider.

Let’s take me for example (Marshall). If I ask myself, “Do I have good relationships at work?” I am asking myself passive questions. These passive questions describe a static condition. They cause me to think of what is being done to me rather than what I am doing for myself.

My question, “Do I have good relationships at work?” If the answer is yes, I think about how I like to work with someone. If the answer is no, I think about what I don’t like about another person. Either answer is an “environmental” answer. The reasons attributed to either answer are external factors. Answering such passive questions, seldom cause me to look within to take responsibility.

Now, let’s change this question to an active question, such as “Did I do my best to build positive relationships at work?” This question challenges me to reflect on my actions. It puts the responsibility for my relationships at work squarely on me. If positive relationships at work are important to me and I askmyself this question every day, I will start doing my best to build positive relationships! (In other words, I will get better!)