Asking “why?” is a simple way to add more meaning to your life. If done regularly, it can help dig beneath the surface and bring a fresh perspective to your life.
This is not to say that you should question everything you do and live under self-scrutiny; When you ask the right questions, you can reinforce good habits and create opportunities to make powerful changes in different areas of your life.
For example, it can move you ahead in your career and relationships, and lead to better health:
- Why am I working this job?
- Why am I in a relationship with this person?
- Why am I not feeling energetic?
Although finding answers to these questions can be uncomfortable, it’s an exercise well-worth doing because it forces you to think critically—a skill that has been associated with great benefits in life and business.
Critical Thinking, Asking “Why?”, and the Power of Questions
Critical thinking leads to better problem solving, decision making, good judgment, and sound analysis. 1
It’s a strategy that is used by business leaders to solve challenging problems (besides going on lots of walks), and it is often encouraged by family members educating young children. It’s also used by people looking to find purpose.
With his bestselling spiritual guide The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle inspired millions of readers to discover the freedom and joy of a life lived “in the now.” In A New Earth, Tolle expands on these powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world.
Critical thinking works by asking yourself an important question (i.e., a question that can’t be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”) and then thinking deeply about the right answer. It’s a process that carries incredible power; When you take the time to think about something critically, you often end up looking at things from a new perspective. You might even take on a side that you didn’t know existed.
The perhaps best way to encourage such questions is by starting it with “Why?”. All too often we do something just for the sake of doing it or because we “believe” we’re passionate about it, and don’t know the true cause, reason, or purpose behind our action.
The Benefits of Asking “Why?” Often
There are many benefits that arise from asking the powerful question, “Why?”. If it’s one of the only things you do, you’ll find that you live with more intention and make the most out of your time
1. It Helps Live With More Intention
People looking to live with meaning understand the importance of leading life with intention. They understand that all of our actions have an outcome and lead to consequences.
Shawn Wells put it best, “You cannot live with intent if you don’t know what your own intentions are.”
2. It Will Help You Make the Most Out of Your Time
Asking “why?” can also boost your productivity. Whenever you make a list of the tasks and errands you have to perform, ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”. You might want to write the task in the left column and then title the second column, “Why?” to make this exercise easier.
There Are a Lot of Questions You Can Ask, But “Why?” Carries the Most Power
Finding meaning is your own personal journey to discovering what really matters in life. Everybody has a different answer when they’re asked about their purpose.
An effective way to change the trajectory of your life is to ask the simple question, “Why?”. It’ll reveal the real reason behind your actions and force you to think of positive alternatives
References
- Murawski, Linda M. “Critical Thinking in the Classroom… And Beyond.” Tusculum College: Department of Human Resources Development, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1143316.pdf.