Introduction: Why Question?
Why question?, here
Isn’t the study of questions as worthy of classification as the study of ticks and mites?, here
What if I just declared myself a questionologist?, here
Why does this problem or situation exist? What are the underlying forces, the larger issues at play? What might be an interesting new way to come at this challenge?, here
How can questioning help us decide, create, connect, and lead?, here
What am I really trying to achieve here?, here
What can we learn from a four-year-old girl?, here
How does one become a better questioner?, here
What are the five enemies of questioning?, here
Will asking questions make it seem as if I don’t know how to do my job? Will it annoy my colleagues and supervisors?, here
How might a four-year-old see this situation?, here
Am I willing to be seen as naïve?, here
Am I comfortable raising questions with no immediate answers? here
Am I willing to move away from what I know?, here
Am I open to admitting I might be wrong?, here
Am I willing to slow down and consider?, here
What if I find that I have no ready answer for the serious questions I ask myself?, here
Is it really worth taking the time to question?, here
Why is questioning now more important than ever?, here
Can questions bridge the gap between us?, here
Can a leader embrace uncertainty, ask questions, admit vulnerability—and still be seen as a strong and confident leader?, here
What if the future of democracy depends on questioning?, here
Do we even know how to ask skeptical, interrogatory questions? And when we do ask such questions, are we willing to accept information that may conflict with our existing views?, here
How can I see this with fresh eyes?, here
What might I be assuming?, here
Am I rushing to judgment?, here
What am I missing?, here
What matters most?, here
Part I: Questions for Better DECISION-MAKING
Why should I question my own decisions?, here
What am I really trying to decide here? What’s most important? What critical information do I have and not have?, here
Why are we making decisions as if we’re still in the jungle?, here
Should I rely on my gut instinct when making decisions?, here
How can I override those gut instincts?, here
What if we could open up a wider view—using our questioning flashlight to do so?, here
Why do I believe what I believe?, here
What am I inclined to believe about this particular issue?, here
What did I once believe that is no longer true?, here
What would I like to be true?, here
What if my beliefs or assumptions on this issue are just plain wrong?, here
What are some reasons that my initial judgment might be wrong?, here
Am I thinking like a soldier or a scout?, here
Would I rather be right, or would I rather understand?, here
Do I solicit and seek out opposing views?, here
Do I enjoy the “pleasant surprise” of discovering I’m mistaken?, here
Is this someone who would rather be right or would rather be successful?, here
What do you most yearn for—to defend your own beliefs or to see the world as clearly as you can?, here
Why should I accept what I’m told?, here
(Critical Thinking Questions): What is the evidence behind this claim and how strong is it?; Does this evidence come from a solid source? Is there an agenda behind it?; Cui bono?—Latin for “Who benefits?”; What are they not telling me?; Does it logically follow?, here; What’s the other side of this issue? Is there actually another side?; Which of the conflicting views has more evidence behind it?; Does my critical thinking have an agenda?, here
What if this isn’t a “yes or no” decision?, here
How do I open up more options?, here
What is the great, the good, and the ugly?, here
What is the counterintuitive option?, here
How can I “open up” the question to be decided?, here
If none of the current options were available, what would I do?, here
What would an outsider do?, here
If my friend had to make this decision, what advice would I give?, here
What should [my name] do in this situation? (instead of what should I do?), here
What would Warren Buffett do if faced with this decision? (Or for that matter, LeBron James?), here
If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do?, here
Does this decision have to be made now? Is this the right time to decide?, here
Is it possible to shoot holes in this decision?, here
If I had to defend this decision at a later time, how would I do so?, here
Where in my life right now am I living under the fog of indecisiveness?, here
What would I try if I knew I could not fail?, here
What are you so afraid of?, here
How can questioning help with something as primal and powerful as fear?, here
What is your earliest memory of this fear? How do you react to it? What has it kept you from doing? How might things change if you were able to overcome this fear?, here
(Courageous Questions): Why would I want to do this thing or make this choice, even though it scares me?, here; Within this scary possibility, what excites me?; What is the worst that could happen?; And how would I recover from that?; If I did fail, what would be the likely causes?; What if I succeed—what would that look like?; How can I take one small step into the breach?, here
How can we generate more ideas?, here
How can we quickly and inexpensively test those ideas?, here
What if cost were not an issue?, here
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?, here
What would “future me” decide?, here
What if we were encouraged to make bolder choices—would we then be happier?, here
Will you pursue this opportunity or would you rather stay put?, here
If I look back years from now, will I wish that I’d made a change when the opportunity was ripe?, here
Which option will allow me to evolve and flourish?, here
(Questions on Whether to Take a Job): Can the little person rise to the top? Can I shape my destiny and have influence in this organization?; How will the boss react to mistakes?; How have others at this company added new skills and expanded responsibilities?; How does the organization encourage “connectedness” between employees?; How does the organization react to mistakes?; Will I be punished for exploring?; Will I enjoy the “small pleasures” of my daily routine?, here
Why are people fully aware that present benefits are important in their current job, and yet expect not to care about those benefits in the future?, here
How would I later explain this decision to others?, here
What are my core obligations?, here
Imagine yourself explaining your decision to a close friend or a mentor–would you feel comfortable? How would that person react?, here
If I’m generally better off saying yes to bold decisions, why not say yes to this one?, here
If I’m saying yes to this, what am I saying no to?, here
How would I feel if I accepted this invitation—and then found out it had been canceled?, here
What if putting experience first makes us happier, more fulfilled, more creative and more memorable people?, here
When I look back in five years, which of these options will make the better story?, here
(Passion Questions): What is my tennis ball?, here; How does this help me in the pursuit of my tennis ball?; Should I even be asking “What’s my passion?”, here; What are my signature strengths? What personal strengths did I display when I was at my best?; What are my superpowers?; When was I truly happy and why?; What activity or theme do I keep coming back to?; When do I seem most like myself?, What did I enjoy doing at age ten?, here; What makes me forget to eat?, here; In what way do I wish the world were different?, here; What is my sentence?, here
What is needed and how might I help?, here
What are my circumstances summoning me to do? What is my most useful social role?, here
If I didn’t come into work today, would things be worse?, here
Am I making a difference? Am I making a contribution?, here
How might I apply my signature strengths to a pursuit that is of natural interest to me and helps others?, here
What is your favorite flavor of shit sandwich? What struggle or sacrifice are you willing to tolerate?, here
How would I like to be remembered? What matters most to me? What change would I like to create?, here
Part II: Questions for Sparking CREATIVITY
Why create?, here
What was I put on this earth to do?, here
How can I help as many people as possible rediscover their creative confidence?, here
Why be creative? Why add to the pile? Why take the risk?, here
Am I willing to decide in favor of creativity? And if so, why?, here
Given the benefits, why would anyone not decide in favor of creativity?, here
Where did my creativity go?, here
(Questions Not to Ask About Creativity): Am I creative?; How creative am I?; Where will I ever find an original idea? Hasn’t everything been thought of already?; Where will I find the time to create?; How can I come up with an idea that will make money?, here
What if I knew at the outset that there was no possibility of fame or fortune from this work—would I still want to do it?, here
What if I go looking for problems?, here
In an era of sleek smartphones, why are thermostats still so dumb?, here
Why is it that some of the raw materials we encounter inspire us, and others don’t? And can we seek out the ones that do?, here
(Problem-Finding Questions): What is happening that doesn’t make sense?; What is the story that is not being told?; How might the whole thing be reinvented or turned upside down?; Why might I want to take on this problem and make it my own?; What stirs me?; What bugs me?; What’s missing?; What do I keep coming back to?; What is ripe for reinvention?, here
What’s wrong with this product? Why doesn’t [a better] product exist?, here
What were my most creative ideas this week?, here
Is this a problem that is trying to find me?, here
(Questions to Help You See More): What might I notice if I were encountering this for the first time?; What if I stand on the desk? (to get a different view); What is in the background?; What here would fascinate a five-year-old?; What would Seinfeld be amused by?; What would Steve Jobs be frustrated by?, here; How would a traveler see this?, here
When am I most resonant? What are people responding to in my work?, here
Why should this be my problem?, here
Do I look forward to thinking about this topic?, here
Will I want to commit to this six months or a year down the road?, here
Will I still love this problem tomorrow?, here
Can I make a unique contribution here?, here
What am I adding that somebody else couldn’t?, here
Is this a challenge that I can apply my skills to?, here
If others are pursuing the same idea, what’s my twist? How might my approach differ from others?, here
What is the upside if I do solve the problem?, here
Can I own this problem?, here
How might I create a thermostat as appealing an iPhone?, here
(The Four Whys): Why does this problem matter? Why does it exist in the first place? Why hasn’t someone solved it already? Why might that change now?, here
Where is my tortoise shell?, here
Where will I actually be able to create?, here
When should I take a break to digitally connect?, here
If I must be connected, how can I at least reassert control?, here
What if we saw attention in the same way that we saw air or water, as a valuable resource that we hold in common?, here
If I began to see my attention as a precious resource, how might I better protect it?, here
How can I shift from a “manager’s schedule” to a “maker’s schedule”?, here
Am I pruning the vine?, here
What if I trade the morning news for the “morning muse”?, here
Instead of taking breaks from social media, what if I reverse that?, here
When is my creative prime time?, here
How can we resist the urge to fill in the blank spaces on the calendar?, here
Am I a lark or an owl?, here
How can I fight through that initial period and not give up?, here
How can I put myself in creator’s jail?, here
What is my early release time? Shall I offer myself a brief furlough?, here
What activities distract me a little but not too much?, here
Am I willing to kill the butterfly?, here
Can I live with this discrepancy between imagination and reality? If I can’t create the thing I dream of, can I at least create the thing I’m capable of making?, here
Do I have what it takes to make the idea actually happen?, here
Who will hold me accountable?, here
Am I chasing butterflies?, here
Am I rearranging the bookshelves?, here
(Questions for Getting Started): How can I lower the bar?; What if I begin anywhere?; Can I make a prototype?, here; What can I do with what I already have?; What small first step can I take to give form to my idea?, here
How do I get “unstuck?”, here
Who would look at this problem from a different angle?, here
What would Lincoln think in a situation like this?, here
If I were to imagine future me, ten or twenty years ahead, how do I imagine I’d look at this problem differently?, here
What if I tried to create a car that is unable to move? Or an oven that can’t cook?, here
Have I ever solved a problem like this before?, here
Have other people with my motivation and ability been able to accomplish something remotely similar?, here
Am I ready to “go public”?, here
Do I want to be done or do I want to improve?, here
(Feedback Questions): Am I coming across?; What do you like least about this?; What would you suggest I try?, here; Is my goal to stay at my current level of skill, or to improve?; Why am I resistant to simply accepting this gift? (of feedback); Who are my trusted advisors?, here; How do you figure out when to listen to other people—and when to listen to yourself?; Is the feedback suggesting that I alter my vision or merely improve upon the execution?; I was wondering about how to improve X or Y—what would you suggest I try?, here; How well did I take that feedback?, here
How do I stay “en route”?, here
How can you keep moving away from what you know?, here
Should a creative person be more like a hummingbird or a jackhammer?, here
What am I willing to abandon?, here
How might I “go electric”?, here
Where is my petri dish?, here
Part III: Questions to Help CONNECT WITH OTHERS
Why connect?, here
Why not do a study on romantic love?, here
How might we, in a laboratory setting, find a way to create instant intimacy between strangers?, here
Could questions be used to rekindle a spark among long-term couples who’d grown a little too used to each other?, here
Could questions strengthen the relationship between people who might have less in common—and might even be adversarial in some cases?, here
Am I genuinely interested in the other person? Am I able to put my ego aside and suspend all judgment?, here
Am I prepared to truly listen, as opposed to just acting as if I am listening?, here
What if we go beyond “How are you?”, here
Why do we go around asking each other such pointless questions?, here
(Ice-Breaker Questions): What was the best part of your weekend?; What’s the strangest/most interesting thing about where you grew up?; What was it like when you first moved to Boise? What’s the single weirdest thing that ever happened to you there?; What’s the best thing that happened to you today?; What are you excited about in your life right now?; What are you most looking forward to at this gathering?; What are you most passionate about?; What problem do you wish you could solve?; What did you want to be when you were growing up?, here
Why did being with a stranger so often mean we couldn’t immediately talk about meaningful things?, here
Why can’t we replace small talk with big talk and ask each other profound questions right from the start?, here
What’s the most in love you’ve ever felt?; Why did you fall in love with your wife?, here
(Intimacy Questions):What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?; If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?; What does friendship mean to you?; How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?; When did you last cry in front of another person? Or by yourself?; What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?, here
(Marriage Questions): How compatible am I with this person, and is there potential for something deep and lasting?, here; Did your family throw plates?; What do you envision as our ideal future?; What would marriage offer us that we don’t already have?, here
(Spouse Questions): When did you feel appreciated today?; Will you remember any specific part of today a year from now?; How can I make your day easier in five minutes?; If we were leaving for vacation tonight, where do you wish we were heading?; What made you laugh today?; What do you wish you did more of today?, here
(Questions to Ask Your Kids): What was the most difficult problem you had today? How could you have handled this differently?, here; What have you failed at this week?; If you were an inventor—what would you invent, and why?; What was your first thought when you woke up today?; Who in your class seems lonely?; What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our world today?, here
(Listening Questions): How might I listen with my whole body?, here; Am I ready to listen fully?, What does it mean to listen fully?, here; Why Am I Talking? (the “WAIT question”), here; How can I make sure I’m really hearing what this person is trying to say?; Just to be clear, are you saying x, y, and z?; Can you explain what you mean by that?, I imagine that made you feel __ , right?, here; And what else? (The “AWE” question), here; Is there anything else?, here
What could we try in order to solve this problem … and what else?, here
What issues should our company be thinking about … and what else?, here
What needs to happen for that feeling to feel better?, here
What if I advise less and inquire more?, here
Why are we inclined to advise others on what they should do?, here
How can we use questions to guide the “horse” toward the “water”?, here
(Advice Questions): What is the challenge that you’re facing?; What have you tried already?; If you could try anything to solve this, what would you try?; And what else?; And what else; Which of these options interests you most?; What might stand in the way of this idea, and what could be done about that?; What is one step you could take to begin acting on this, right away?, here
(Criticism Questions): What’s motivating this critical urge?; How am I guilty of the thing I’m criticizing?; How would I react if someone said something similar to me?; What positive result do I hope will come of saying this?; Am I deriving pleasure from criticizing?, here
Take me through what happened on this project: What went well, what did you have problems with, and what can we learn from that going forward?, here
(Questions for Bridging the Divide): What if I replace judgment with curiosity?, here; Why might I want to cross this particular divide?, here; Am I really interested in learning from the other side?, here; What can I learn from those I do not understand?; How might I consider both sides of this dispute?, here; How might I own my own biases?, here; Knowing that I tend to lean in one direction, how might that be altering my view of this new information or situation?, here; What is my culture preventing me from seeing?, here; When you say “freedom,” how are you defining that term?; Can I briefly lay out for you what I think?; Can you find anything in your position that gives you pause?; Is there anything in my position that you are attracted to or find interesting?, here; On a scale of one to ten (one having no value at all, ten being 100 percent right and unassailable), how would you rate my position? And your own?; If you didn’t rate mine a one and yours a ten, why not?; Can we imagine a position that might at least partly satisfy both of us?, here; How might we find one small thing we can actually agree on?, here
How might we form a stronger partnership?, here
The person I love and married is telling me over and over again that this behavior is a problem. Why don’t I believe her?, here
If I knew my marriage would end painfully as a result of something I am doing or not doing, would I continue to make the same choice?, here
Can I try to explain what I think your position is—and then you can do the same for me?, here
Am I missing a bid? (Was that a bid from a loved one that I just ignored while staring at my iPhone?), here
How should I be responding to the various bids coming from my partner?, here
(Questions for Your Best Friend): What do you struggle with on a day-to-day basis?; What have you always wanted to try?; If you could start your own nonprofit, what would it be?; What would be the title of your autobiography?; If you had to live in another country for a year, where would that be?, here
What was going through your mind when you heard the good news? You must have been so proud when you heard about this—what was that like?, here
What new opportunities do you think this might create for you?, here
Do I want to be right or do I want peace?, here
Have you made clear your concerns about the relationship?, here
Would you really be happier without your partner?, here
How might we begin to save this marriage?, here
I’m sorry. I was wrong. Will you please forgive me?, here
Can questioning help us connect in the workplace?, here
How can I ask questions of coworkers without overstepping bounds or putting them on the defensive?, here
What is my job?; How might I do it better?, here
Given all the changes yesterday, what is my job today?, here
Why are certain procedures and practices in place? Why is that old equipment still in use? What might be the benefits and costs of making a change (to policies or equipment) and how difficult would it be to do that?, here
I have noticed that our competitors are using new software that enables them to move much more quickly. I’m wondering how we might adapt to this—and whether there’s anything specific that I can do differently in my role?, here
(Questions for Your Boss): What would you do in my position?; What does your ideal employee look like?; What’s the one thing if I did it differently would make a difference to you?; What is most important on your list to accomplish today—and is there any way I can help?, here
Why is it hard for managers to “question down”?, here
Are you satisfied with your own performance?, here
What do you think is working well, and what is not?, here
What do you not have time to work on, that you’d like to be working on?, here
What questions do you have for me?, here
Anything you’d like to know about the new policy we’re implementing? Or about where we envision this company or this division five years from now?, here
I’m curious, why did you choose to do it this way?, here
What’s the coolest thing you’ll be working on this week? What are you excited about in your job right now?, here
(Questions about a Difficult Co-Worker): Is it possible I’m overreacting?; Which of this person’s specific behaviors most bother me?; Of those, which actually interfere with my ability to do my job?; Is there a way to politely ask this person to make one change?; Who could mediate?; How might I create distance?, here
What if we replace the sales pitch with a “question pitch”?, here
What does the world need from us?, here
How might we put our heads together to solve this problem your company is having?, here
What is our mission and purpose (as an organization)? Why are we here?, here
Part IV: Questions for Stronger LEADERSHIP
What can we do to right this wrong?, here
What is the twenty-first century demanding of our students, and how can the school provide that?, here
How do you instill a sense of possibility in young people living amid poverty and hopelessness? How do you keep underpaid, overworked teachers from burning out?, here
Why do I choose to lead?, here
What if we said to our would-be leaders, “Take this role only if you care desperately about the issue at hand?”, here
Why do I want to lead this endeavor or these people?; Why would they want me to lead them?; Does the answer to the first question also work as an answer to the second?, here
How do you want to leverage your special gifts and interests to make the world a better place?, here
Am I willing to step back from individual achievement—in order to help others move forward?, here
Do I have the confidence to be humble?, here
Am I willing to step back in order to help others move forward?
Do I have the confidence to be humble?
Can I learn to keep learning?
Do I seek to create an organization in my own image?
Am I courageous enough to abandon the past?, here
How might I stimulate my own curiosity?, here
Do I surround myself with inspiring, sometimes even odd, big thinkers? Is my schedule packed with meetings and daily decisions, or freed to explore new frontiers? Do I use every interaction, from the colleague to the driver, to ask new people about how they think and feel?, here
Am I bringing together diverse people who can share points of view that I might be missing?, here
Why must I retreat in order to lead?, here
What could I have done differently?, here
Does my thinking sound right to you? Does it sound like me? Am I missing something?, here
What is my code?, here
When have I been at my best? What drove or inspired me at those times?, here
What have I learned about working with other people (in doing so, when have I been effective, and what caused that?), here
When have I taken a principled stand? What have I gone out of my way to defend?, here
When have I failed to effectively meet goals or lead others—and what did I seem to be doing wrong? When did I fail to take a stand—and why?, here
Who are my formative influencers?, here
When have I come up short—and why?, here
What is my story? What is my logline?, here
Did I live up to my own code? In what ways did my behavior fail to match my stated values? How would I do it differently?, here
(Organization Mission Questions): Why are we here in the first place?, here; When have we, as an organization, been at our best? What have we stood for throughout our history?; Why do we matter, and to whom?; If we disappeared tomorrow, who would miss us?; What do we do that other organizations can’t or won’t do?; What are we against?; How might we be not just a company but a cause?, here; What is our higher calling?, here
What is the least I can do?, here
Why do otherwise successful people get tripped up by the trivial?. here
What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measure of importance?, here
Which problem do I want?, here
Is this necessary? If we add this, what do we stand to lose?, here
What do I want to go big on?, here
What should we stop doing?, here
Why does this rule (or this process) exist in the first place? If it made sense once, does it still make sense now?, here
What stupid rule would you most like to kill?, here
At this moment, what is the highest, best use of my time?, here
What truly matters?, here
What is the one thing I can do that would make everything else easier or unnecessary?, here
(Visionary Questions): If an oracle could tell you what’s going to happen three years from now, what would you most want to know?; How can we become the company that would put us out of business? What might this predator look like, and why would it have an advantage over us?, here; What if we had the capability to do what we now do much faster and more efficiently—what might that enable us to achieve?; What if we created the ideal workplace for our employees—what might their workday look like?; Who do we want our customers to become?; How can we brace ourselves for the third wave?; What would the seventh generation think about what we’re doing?; How might I make tomorrow visible?; What is our “vision question”?, here
Who are you spending time with? On what topics? Where are you travelling? What are you reading?, here
What are the implications of this decision ten minutes, ten months, and ten years from now?, here
What’s going on out there—and how can I help?, here
What is going well? What are we doing right?, here
Why are you still here? (sitting in your office), here
What should I ask all these people?, here
Am I looking for what’s broken … or what’s working?, here
Help me understand what led to the deadline issues? How might we expedite the work without compromising quality? How can I help?, here
How can I make sure the conversation is about them—their needs, their interests—and not about me?, here
Am I seeking their thoughts, instead of just offering my own? Am I focused on their priorities, not mine?, here
Am I offering them choices and options, instead of telling them what to do?, here
(Questions Not to Ask Employees): How’s it going?; Why did you ___?; Who screwed up here?; Haven’t we tried this already, here
(Questions You Should Ask Them): What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing?; Are you making progress?; Help me understand what led to ___?; Is it clear what we’re doing and why?; How can I help?, here; Did you do your best to make progress today?; What are we doing that’s getting in your way?; What are you working on right now that you’re most excited about?; What inspired you to take this approach?, here; How would you like to see yourself growing in this role?, here
Would my employees, if asked, be able to articulate the company’s vision and priorities?, here
What do you do in your life outside work that is most inspiring? What do you do to keep learning and growing as a person?, here
What if we could take that passion you have for X and somehow bring it to life here? How might we do that?, here
Do I really want a culture of curiosity?, here
Why would a leader want to encourage more questioning? Why open the lid and release a potential torrent of employee questions?, here
If people start asking more questions at your company, what will you do with those questions? What if you don’t like the questions your employees are asking?, here
Am I ready to announce “Bring us the problems you’ve noticed?”, here
What is the culture I want, and what actions and conditions are likely to produce such a culture?, here
How can we make questioning safe? How can we make it rewarding? How can we make it productive? How might we make it a habit?, here
Why not have every manager or supervisor throughout the company participate in a weekly or monthly “Ask me anything” session?, here
How can we make a culture of inquiry stick?, here
What if every meeting began with a question? What if the company held regularly scheduled “question days”—during which groups come together to ask, What assumptions can we challenge today?, here
What if you ask employees to come up with one ambitious question a week, to be shared with their colleagues?, here
I know we disagree on this, but will you gamble with me on it? [Can we] disagree and commit?, here
Whose voice might I have missed hearing—and how might I amplify this voice?, here
Conclusion: The Inquiring Life
How might I begin to act on my questions?, here
Can we simply advise ourselves to “question more” and then expect that shift into questioning mode will happen when needed?, here
Did you ask the important questions you’re supposed to ask?, here
How might I reward myself for questioning?, here
How can I warm up my questioning muscles?, here
Can I build a better question?, here
How might I test my built-in baloney detector?, here
Is this bad feeling I have really true? Is there another way of viewing this situation?, here
What if I looked at the world around me with a fresh eye?, here
What if Attila the Hun was plopped down in Silicon Valley? What if a potato peeler were combined with gloves?, here
What’s interesting about it, and what doesn’t work? Is there a similar but different combination that might be more interesting?, here
How (and with whom) shall I break the ice?, here
What if I approached this party as if I were a journalist, looking for stories about the people in attendance?, here
(L.I.F.E. Exercise Questions): What weird LITTLE thing sticks out in your mind from this week? What piece of INFORMATION did you learn this week? Is there anything you tried and FAILED at this week? What memorable EXCHANGE did you have this week?, here
(Self-Interview Questions): What is your biggest dream in life?; When you were a child, who or what did you want to be?; When you have failed, how did you respond?; If people were asked how you treat them, what do you think they’d say?; What is your sentence? (Meaning, if you had to summarize your life in one sentence, what would that sentence be?); What is your tennis ball? (What is the thing that you chase as intently as a dog chases a tennis ball?); What are you trying to get better at?, here
Can questioning help bring my family closer together?, here
(Family Heritage Questions): Where were our ancestors born? When did they arrive in this country?; What might our ancestors have had to overcome to get here?; What are some traditions that have been passed down through our family? When and how did they get started?; What are some family stories that you know? That I know?; In particular, what difficulties did the family have to bounce back from?; What were some of the greatest accomplishments by family members through the years?; What do the stories mean to us today?; What are some classic family jokes or songs?, here
(Family Purpose/Mission Questions): What does it mean to be part of this family?; Is how you feel about being part of this family different than how I feel?; Of all the family members you have either known or heard stories about, who do you think lived the most interesting life? Why?; What are our family values?; What is this family trying to do beyond daily living? What’s the greater purpose of our family?; How might we create a “How might we” mission question for the family?; How might I contribute to the mission?, here
What if I trade my resolutions for “questolutions”?, here
How might I meet more interesting people this year? How might I get myself to drink more water?, here
How might I encourage others to question more?, here
Izzy, did you ask a good question today?, here
What is my one “big beautiful question”?, here
Where and how might you find your big beautiful question?, here