PhotoCredit: ChillALittle
I heard a quote last week that resonated really deeply. "If you live the questions, life will move you into the answers". It's one of those great Deepak Chopra quotes, which he states with utter conviction.
My first thought is how nicely this ties with the OODA loop process of problem solving. This satisfies my desire to ground all things woo-woo with science. It's also why I have a deep love of quantum mechanics which is, to my grasping-to-comprehend brain, the science of the unexplained. It's very convenient.
To be honest that was my second thought. My first thought was more of a reaction. Relief. I was at a point with a couple of things I was working on that, well, weren't working. So I sat back and thought about what questions I needed to think about. I allowed the process to get a bit more - how should I put this - squiggly!!
Yes team, I too fall victim to the linear. I too have moments where I expect there will be measured and progressive steps forward. It's an expectation that runs deep. And it's an expectation that will drive you to obvious answers that are uncompetitive, unoriginal and highly predictable. The opposite of future-proof and innovative.
Future-proof, innovative solutions lie in the realm of asking questions. Staying curious. Pushing the boundaries. Getting frustrated and lost and stuck all go with the territory. It's a natural part of the process to feel a little hopeless in pursuit of your outsized ambition.
Which is where the combination of spiritual and scientific becomes super powerful. Sitting in faith while facing the data that you are not there yet. Seeking more information to fuel better questions to support your quest for the answer. Knowing you will get there. Being ok with not knowing how long it will take. Or how many losses you will absorb along the way. And knowing that each loss allows you to calibrate your work and move forward better, stronger and more course correct.
So this week think about what you are stuck on. Then ask yourself what is the question? What is the problem that you need to solve? Then ask yourself, how can I live this question? To me I instinctively reach for knowledge: so, I read books, talk to smart people and I go for walks to let my brain run free on the problem. What is your toolset? How do you live the question?