Part of my job as a coach is to ask powerful questions to help clients discover themselves and reveal truths that they may not be aware of.
Today I want to share 3 of these questions with you so that you can utilize them on your own path of self-discovery.
1. Why?
This is a simple way to get to the root of what is fuelling your goals. To illustrate this, I’m going to use a real example from one of my former clients. He hired me to help him land a big promotion that had alluded him for years. I asked him why he wanted it, and kept asking why to his responses, like peeling layers off of an onion.
- Why do you want a promotion? ► So I can make more money
- Why do you want more money? ► So I can buy a bigger house
- Why do you want a bigger house? ► So my kids can have a backyard
- Why do you want your kids to have a backyard? ► So they can be happy
- Why do you want your kids to be happy? ► So I can feel like I’m a good Dad.
Once we knew the deeper core emotion he was seeking, that’s where the coaching magic happened. He did get the promotion, but more importantly he changed his relationship with his children so that he could be a good dad without having to buy a new house.
2. What do you need most right now?
Many times, clients will gloss over their most immediate needs. Asking this question is powerful because it helps you prioritize what is most important and needs your attention in the present moment. Forcing yourself to focus in the present moment takes you out of future anxiety or past regret and brings you back to the place where you can actually make a difference: right now.
3. How does that thought make you feel?
This one is a little on the advanced side and clients look at me funny when I ask this. But it allows you to see that your thoughts influence your emotions.
“I can never do what he does” creates a feeling of hopeless resignation. In contrast, the thought “It’s possible for me to learn what he does” feels a little better and helps to create more possibility. Knowing what emotions you’re creating for yourself helps to understand why you’re feeling the way you feel.
Let’s do more of this
Want more? I am bursting at the seams with powerful questions that I teach you how to use during our coaching sessions. If you’d like to get started or learn more about what to expect, schedule some 1-on-1 time with me.
If you’re wondering what it’s like to be coached by me, you can check this out to learn more.
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
