Questions

Quote
"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."
-Einstein

My Thoughts
I've mentioned about questions for shifting perception quite a few times before. Questions are critical to allow you to look at the same situation a different way. This is why coaching relies heavily on questions.
I believe the story below does a great job on getting this point across:

"A classic story illustrates very well the potential cost of placing a problem in a disciplinary box. It involves a multistoried office building in New York. Occupants began complaining about the poor elevator service provided in the building. Waiting times for elevators at peak hours, they said, were excessively long. Several of the tenants threatened to break their leases and move out of the building because of this…

Management authorized a study to determine what would be the best solution. The study revealed that because of the age of the building no engineering solution could be justified economically. The engineers said that management would just have to live with the problem permanently.

The desperate manager called a meeting of his staff, which included a young recently hired graduate in personnel psychology…The young man had not focused on elevator performance but on the fact that people complained about waiting only a few minutes. Why, he asked himself, were they complaining about waiting for only a very short time? He concluded that the complaints were a consequence of boredom. Therefore, he took the problem to be one of giving those waiting something to occupy their time pleasantly. He suggested installing mirrors in the elevator boarding areas so that those waiting could look at each other or themselves without appearing to do so. The manager took up his suggestion. The installation of mirrors was made quickly and at a relatively low cost. The complaints about waiting stopped.

Today, mirrors in elevator lobbies and even on elevators in tall buildings are commonplace."

When you alter the questions that you ask yourself, you will change the answers you are receiving.

So, how can you use this in your life?

Well, lets suppose you are having problems finding a job.....or finding a job that you like.
One thing many people do is look at their past or current results and see what they can do.
The problem with that is it keeps you stuck in a box.
The question that typically runs through many people's mind is "What can I get?" instead of "What do I want to do?". The first question is looking from the problem which is very limiting. The second question is starting to look from the solution which allows for exploration.
That slight change will let you to look at the situation differently.

Until next time...