Will You Take the 10-Day, 10-Question Challenge?
Say it with me: If I ASK more, I will receive more.
This is 100% certifiable, and it passes the common sense test. Heck, it is downright Biblical (“Ask and ye shall receive…”). From a practical standpoint, we see this principle every single day in every aspect of our little daily journeys.
- If you do not swing the bat, it is physically impossible to hit a double to left field
- If you do not ask for the promotion, someone else will most likely get it
- If you do not ask for the table by the window, you are unlikely to get it
- If you do not raise your hand, the taxi will keep on going
- If you forget to ask for no mayonnaise, they will slop it on for you every time
Again, common sense, right? It would be crazy not to raise your arm if you wanted a cab. They cannot read your mind driving in NYC traffic! You have to ASK for things in this world. So why don’t we use this amazing tool for bigger things in life? Do we think ASKING only works for the daily grind?
Everybody knows the truth of the power of questions for little things, and yet we human beings mysteriously and inexplicably do not follow where it leads: asking for life-changing opportunities and relationships and growth!
We know what we want in our heads and hearts, but do nothing with our hands and mouth. We are afraid of rejection. We are leery of breaking our daily routine, even though it is suffocating us. We are the poster child of the universe for the downside of the Law of Inertia: Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest.
In a way, this is actually a good thing. Quite frankly, this weakness of the human race is a huge advantage for those of us who wake up and start asking. By developing the habit of question asking, we are automatically elevated to the top tier for maximizing our lives. By asking more, our lives become less of a series of random accidents and trifles. We start intentionally “attracting” more of the good life.
(Maybe the mysterious, behind-the-curtain mechanism of the current “Law of Attraction” movement is simply just asking more out of life. Is this the true “Secret”?)
With that said, I believe fully that it is our duty once we are awake to help share the goods with those who are asleep. I do not think we can call ourselves “Successful” if we do not try to pay our good fortune forward and improve the lives of our neighbors. Otherwise, our “asking” becomes a selfish pursuit of accumulation and materialism rather than a journey of enjoying and evolving in this life. We are nothing without positive and enriching relationships with others and without health in our minds, spirit, and bodies.
But history shows us again and again that it is only the “few” who will listen…while the masses laugh and mock…and miss out.
Case in point: it was only a few who made it onto the deck of Noah’s Ark during that little rainstorm a few thousand years back. You pick the time period, and you will find examples of the mob majority not listening to a simple truth until it is too late. Let’s try our best to help them out, but people have to make up their own minds and lie in their own beds. In the meantime, let’s enjoy our boat ride!
Steve Jobs, Lewis and Clark, Christopher Columbus, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Thomas Edison, Harriet Tubman, Sandra Day O’Connor…all of these human beings had an idea that the masses hadn’t quite caught up to yet. These pioneers questioned and failed many times while the mob laughed. But what would have happened if they had not had the cajones to keep asking?
The big question we all need to meditate on then is, what should we be asking for?
The more I think on this, the more I realize that it is not more toys for Christmas. It is not a bigger house and a faster car. It is not another five pair of shoes. It is not a new iPhone. I’ve done all that, but life never seemed to really improve. In fact, receiving some of those things actually made things worse. Much worse.
What should we ask for then? There are many specific questions that are relevant only to you as an individual, but there are ten questions that apply to all of us that have a lot of power if we will follow where they lead:
1. What am I grateful for?
2. What quality relationships in my life do I need to maintain or grow?
3. What life-draining relationships do I need to leave behind?
4. How can I change my daily activities in a way that helps me use my talents and gifts and passions more often? Am I in the right career?
5. What do I need to learn right now to help me one year from now?
6. How can I enjoy this moment right now?
7. How can I make my body more healthy so I feel better each day?
8. How can I be more spiritual (not more religious) and connect to the bigger picture?
9. How can I make my neighbor’s life better today?
10. What are my goals for the next month, six months, and one year?
Take the 10-Day, 10-Question Challenge. Sit down with one of these questions each day for the next week and a half. Write down ten ideas or “answers” to these questions. Then follow through. Use some of your own answers.
Or you can just sit on the couch and watch the boat leave without you. It’s your powerful consequential choice. Ask!
by: Benji Battle
About Benji Battle
Benji Battle lives and works as an educator, manager, and writer in Atlanta, GA, where he and his wife work daily to make a wiser, brighter home for their three children. Benji encourages people to ask more questions in life in order to achieve their goals and dreams. His blog "Think to Ask?" celebrates these questions at http://www.benjibattle.com
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