Ask Ripe Questions
A ripe question is the right question at the right time. You know it when you ask it. You can feel it. You now have a number of questioning techniques to use, so play with them and see what you discover. You might even call this a play-with rather than a live-with!
Dumb Questions Aren’t So Dumb
Dumb questions are the questions you don’t ask. They’re the questions you’re afraid to ask because you fear the answer is obvious. Or because you think you’ll look silly for asking.
Dumb questions are the kind of naive, wonder-filled questions that a child isn’t afraid to ask. They’re penetrating questions because they often ignore the superficialities of a situation and go straight for the underlying meaning. As such, they serve as catalysts for creativity.
Get Acquainted with Questions
Once you start noticing the questions people ask every day, you’ll see how helpful a ‘ripe’ question can be. So start keeping a daily log of all the questions you hear this week. Analyze them. Ask yourself which questions are penetrating, powerful, dumb and insightful. Ask yourself which questions are limiting. Note what happens when either type of question is asked. By the end of the week, catch yourself every time you’re about to ask a question that is closed—because it’s aggressive, judgmental, or designed to show off your own knowledge. Then, either don’t ask the question or replace it with a really good ripe one.
Use questions to strategize with Allies about your Challenge
Think about your allies for your challenge. Who do you know that you could strategize with, asking powerful questions about where you are and where you are headed? Make time to sit down with them in person or by phone to actively dive into the unknown. See what comes up!
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
For three nights in a row, write down an important ‘ripe’ question immediately before you go to sleep. Mull it over carefully as you start to drift off. Give that question ample opportunity to work itself into your dreams. Creative solutions often manifest themselves in the dreams and visualizations that spring from your unconscious mind. What are your thoughts immediately upon awakening? Write down any dreams or follow-up thoughts you have. See if your creative Essence has answered you in your sleep.
For three nights in a row, write down an important ‘ripe’ question immediately before you go to sleep. Mull it over carefully as you start to drift off. Give that question ample opportunity to work itself into your dreams. Creative solutions often manifest themselves in the dreams and visualizations that spring from your unconscious mind. What are your thoughts immediately upon awakening? Write down any dreams or follow-up thoughts you have. See if your creative Essence has answered you in your sleep.
Share what you discover here, with us!
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream: I've been doing this exercise nightly and have discovered that I always feel better and more resolved about questions in the morning. Nighttime feels like the time you DON'T want to think about a lot before going to bed, but I found that if I allow myself just a few minutes of concentration and thoughtfulness, I fall asleep and wake up feeling better about the problem and more confident in my decisions. It has actually become a bit of a stress-relief, knowing that I'll wake up reaffirmed in my curiosity!
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ReplyDeleteDumb Questions:
ReplyDeleteMost of the questions I have heard this week would be classified as “dumb questions” based on their nature because I spend my days with a 2 year old and a 4 year old. I found many of them to be extremely thought provoking in ways I had never observed before. After paying attention to these questions this week, I realized how their naïve, wonder-filled, creative questions impacted my creativity. I have always searched what I called the “deepest parts of my brain” whenever they ask me “Why?” to anything and everything, but what I now realize is that I unleash my creativity as I attempt to answer these questions.
Some questions I heard this week:
“Why?” - I had to explain to a two year old that his mac and cheese was not ready yet because I had to cook it before I could serve it. The “whys” continued to fly at me and I found myself launching into information about patience, pre-packaged food, nutrition, and everything in between.
“Why does Jupiter have 63 moons but earth only has one moon?” (Needless to say I was unaware of this fact before the question…)
“What would happen if an umbrella was upside down? Why is it shaped that way?”
“I hate sun block, it smells. Can you invent something else to prevent sun burns?”
“Why is that lady shorter than you?”
Though on the surface some of these questions are trivial (umbrella, height differences), digging deeper for the underlying meaning is really powerful and exhilarating!
To sleep, perchance to dream:
I had a really hard time falling asleep when I tried this exercise. I have never been a great sleeper (really bad insomnia freshman year of college when I was overloaded with work and my mind was constantly racing) so this was frustrating for me. The first night I tried it I ended up putting on white noise and eventually drifting to sleep a while later. The second night I set my bedtime significantly earlier in an attempt to do the exercise while still getting a good nights sleep. That was also unsuccessful and I tossed and turned for hours trying to relax my mind. In the book I remembered reading “when something was no longer fun they would stop doing it” so I stopped doing this exercise.
I am much more of a morning person, so instead what I did was as soon as I woke up I would think of a ripe question and write it down. I tried to keep that question in the back of my mind all day without placing too much focus on it. I would then collect my thoughts at the end of the day before bed. I don’t think this method had quite the same results, but it was an insightful new experience for me AND I wasn’t frustrated with my inability to fall asleep. :)
Ripe Questions* The Amazing thing about this Lesson for me is that "Its Just that Simple" and Believe it or Not, I didn't realize it until I was around 21, asking the exact question that I really wanted to know would allow me to live Better! :) How many times have we all told ourselves "Gosh, If I would have just asked about it, maybe I would have what I wanted." So Here, I am at age 33 and I know everything about getting to the place I see fit for me, by Speaking Up* Lately, I have been even receiving a bonus treatment from my peers and surroundings because I'm starting to ask people around me things like, Where do you like to Volunteer and if the Response is "I don't Know" then I take them to my favorite locations like the Advance Project, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, The Bill Wilson Center, or The Cathedral Faith Summer Shows for them to Volunteer with me. To be totally honest, asking questions that matters allows me to connect stronger with someone in the room. I believe its Better then the Unknown*
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ReplyDeleteDuring this week of questions it was difficult for me to be present to asking questions all the time. With more tools under my belt I felt like I was aware of so much that was happening in my mind. With my VOJ going a mile a minute and also trying to be present to what is happening in the moment I had a harder time asking the questions. I did have one incident where I tried the coin toss and found that i immediatly knew what my heart desired and that helped get rid of the rest of the voices in my head.
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