The Associated Press reports that Americans spend about $34 billion annually to visit therapists support when they are going through difficult times … family troubles, relationship issues, school and/or work challenges, etc.
While there are a wide variety of treatment strategies, many therapists use the power of questions to identify and sometimes arrive at a method of treatment.
This approach can also be utilized to a certain degree in our everyday lives as well. While I would never recommend this strategy in lieu of professional treatment, it can certainly assist us in areas of personal growth and self-realization.
Find a comfortable seat and make certain you have a legal pad and pen at your disposal. Take a look at the following questions and choose a few which you feel might address a current challenge in your life. While doing this alone, you should have no fear or reluctance in answering each question truthfully. Failure to do so would certainly defeat the purpose of this exercise.
Read your question of choice, think about it for a few moments and then jot down all thoughts which may come into your mind. Don’t evaluate your responses at this point, just record them. Upon completion, you may want to add additional notes or revise some content upon further thought.
If you are perfectly honest in your answers, I can assure you that you’ll discover some personal insight you might find not only revealing but, in some cases, even surprising. Your data may lead you to additional research, conversation with a trusted source, or even more professional counseling should you feel it necessary.
Here are just a few of the important questions you might consider:
- What one decision would I make if I knew it would not fail?
- What one thing should I eliminate from my life because it holds me back from reaching my full potential.
- Am I on the path of something absolutely marvelous, or something absolutely mediocre?
- Am I running from something, or to something?
- What can I do to make better use of my time?
- Who do I need to forgive?
- Of the people I respect most, what is it about them that earns my respect?
- What would a truly creative person do in my situation?
- What outside influences are causing me to be better or worse?
- In what areas do I need improvement in terms of personal development?
- What gifts, talents, or strengths do I have?
- What is one thing that I can do for someone else who has no opportunity to repay me?
By the way, you may not like the answers … but you need to hear them!
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.