In our culture today, we tend to leap from problem to solution. We have been rewarded with this approach most of our lives.
But when you are looking for fresh ideas, you will get farther if you change the solution into a lot of questions.
For instance...
I wanted to go to the gym more often. This is a problem many of us have. I had memberships I didn't use. I found it painfully boring. Net result: not working out enough. Common solutions: be more disciplined, book time in my calendar, yada, yada, yada.
What worked
Asking the question,"what would make workouts more fun" took me in a totally different direction.
I got a workout buddy. We've now been going at least once a week for three and a half years.When we miss the workout, I don't just miss the workout, I miss the catch-up.
We could ask a lot more cool questions about workouts that would take us to Catalyzing Questions -- questions that show the way to different solutions.
Such as... how could I make money working out? How could I work out at my desk? How could I make working out as much fun as watching TV? (Hey, I guess that's why there are TV's in the gym now!)
Get unstuck
Asking different questions can get you unstuck in a big way. It's a powerful tool, whether your problem is dirty dishes piling up, or feeding people during space travel.
