We’ve all heard that success comes from creating a vision board, ironed-down core values, actionable lists and a calendar of goals.
The amount of work and reflection that goes into each of those items can be easily overlooked.
The book Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams explores the power of asking ourselves transformative questions that foster stronger critical thinking, personal relationships, and results.
Here are 3 key takeaways:
Learning vs judgment
A learning mindset is inquisitive and open to possibilities. A judgmental mindset is skeptical, reactive, and likes to play the blame game.
The human mind tends to focus more on negatives vs positives.
Being more intentional about filtering out pessimism lends more room for innovative creativity, uplifting relationships, and meaningful actions.
Stay curious
Thoughtful, reflective questions beckon forward our deeper wisdom and intellect.
A learning mindset allows us to honestly ask ourselves questions like “How did my biases interfere with my ability to succeed? and “How can I be more aware of them going forward?”.
A judgmental mindset stunts reflection and instead dwells on what went wrong and who or what we can blame.
The “Choice Map”
Adams’ Choice Map is designed to prevent negative thought spirals and encourage constructive growth.
It is a graphic that follows the thought trajectory of an individual who has experienced an impactful moment.
They are presented with two different pathways that are framed by questions and emotions that we commonly feel in response.
The paths represent learning and judgmental mindsets.
The introspective prompts along each path help us separate ourselves from the intensity of an experience and ground into a transformative mentality.
Adam’s Choice Map is a ready example to use or you can create your own!