Most people who are trying to be more productive ask themselves these three deadly questions.
I say deadly because they are designed to kill progress.
The only thing these questions do is confirm powerlessness and inadequacy and affirm hopelessness.
- Why isn’t this working?
- What is wrong with me?
- Why can’t I figure this out?
The brain will search for the answers to whatever questions you ask.
The brain doesn’t pause and say, “Hey Mari Carmen, that’s a pretty low-quality question. Are you sure you want me to work on that? Because Lord knows I’ll be able to find a LOT of answers. When I deliver them to you, you’re most likely to feel defeated, deflated, and pretty darn hopeless.”
Your brain just answers. No context. Period.
So when you catch yourself asking anything that even smells like those questions, ask the “2 Year” Question instead:
The 2 Year Question
If I had two years to figure this (your current challenge, project, problem) out, and nothing wrong would happen in the meantime…
- What is one thing I’d do differently?
- What is one thing I’d stop doing?
- What is one thing I’d start doing?
One crucial note…it’s likely that the answers to some of these questions will not be something you can master immediately to get some kind of instantaneous result.
As a friend and fitness professional once pointed out:
“Mari, ‘Learn anatomy’ is not a to-do list item.”
When we move away from the mentality of instant gratification or instant failure, we can start identifying the necessary changes that will actually make a long-term difference.
The 2 Year Question has become the number one play tool we use at our company to create instant shifts in our energy and productivity mindset. So much fun! (And it works.)
With love,
Mari Carmen
