Sharpen Focus with Deep-Dive Questions

All our language assumes things. They're not necessarily 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓮 per se, it's just that simply uttering the words presupposes you at least 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮 their concept.

So, if I say something like...

"As Andy looked out the balcony, he heard the vague murmur of bustling bees, felt the cool breeze, smelt the faint scent of spring flowers, he could almost taste the sweet honeycakes.

It made him realize that, whether sooner, or later, he'd just have to bake them. And it all meant he'd then set the table, invite his besties, and share with them."

I have to hold in my mind's eye that:

• there 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 such things as Andy, a balcony, bees, a breeze, a scent of spring flowers, honeycakes, a table, and Andy's besties;

• Andy sees, hears, feels, smells, and tastes;

• the murmur is vague, the breeze is cool, the scent is faint, and the hypothetical honeycakes are sweet;• they make, they 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 him to realize...

• ... the 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 of baking;

• he has the choice of doing it 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 sooner, 𝙤𝙧 later in 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚;

• (and either way, it 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 happen);

• and all of it is the 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 of...

• ... an 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 for setting the table, inviting his besties, and sharing with them;

... and now, so do you.😉 If you are to make sense of my message, you simply 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 to paint its mental picture.

And as you're doing it now, it influences how you feel, which then seeps into your behaviours, and ultimately adds up to your solid outcomes.

Once again, it doesn't mean any of the above is any more than a mere flight of fancy. But, then again, so is every notion in the world, before it pours from mind into matter, and solidifies into concrete fact.

For the Wright brothers, inventing a flying machine heavier then air was 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 a flight of fancy, before they could patch it together, and have it 𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 take off.

So, the language we use to address others (and most importantly, ourselves) precisely codifies our 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 world, and how we then structure its 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙧 reflection.

Our mind constantly seeks to answer one big question: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙬? The language we use, everything it assumes and presupposes hones that focus, directs its attention precisely.

For instance, the Wright brothers found it far more useful to ask themselves 𝙝𝙤𝙬 to build a flying machine heavier than air, and 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 it took (which already presupposed success), rather than 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 it was possible.

My mentor, Tad James, built on all this when he framed an overarching question, which would frame all the deep-dive questions you could most usefully 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛:

"What's the question that, by the presuppositions embedded in the question, can produce the biggest change in myself and/or my client, by the fact that they accept its presuppositions?"

Say what? I know, it's quite a mouthful😅 (or better said, a mind-ful😝). So, I'll just let you mull it over.

Meanwhile, let us know in the comments - what have been some of the most useful questions you've asked yourself? And how have they boosted your problem-solving?