I’d like to share 3 simple questions which, when asked with deep sincerity and an open mind, can spark the shifts you’ve been yearning for. I’ve been journeying with a great little book in my morning practice since this year began, and these questions popped up this week. The book is, A Year of Living Consciously, by Gay Hendricks. I’ve long been advocating for the transformative practice of consciously asking ‘high-quality’ questions, and I can really appreciate the 3 powerful questions I am about to share with you. A high-quality question is open-ended (not looking for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer), and supports expansion and personal growth. The practice of working with high-quality questions requires that we be open to listening deeply, and willing to accept the wisdom that the asking elicits in response.
What, with all my heart, do I most want to know?
What, with all my heart, do I most need to learn?
What, with all my heart, do I most want to contribute?
“With all my heart” is the most important phrase in all of these 3 transformative questions. For some people, answers will spring to the forefront immediately, while other people will need to ponder for some time. For those of you who have ready answers, I invite you to see what happens if you ask yourself, “and is there anything more?” and then allow space for the deepest place in your heart to speak to you.
And for those of you who may feel conflicted or unsure of your answers, I encourage you to let go of any need for an answer, and simply carry these questions with you every day for a while, holding them close to your heart. You may wish to write them down, and put them where you will see them often. Open up space in your days to read them aloud, and then just listen in the silence.
The voice of the heart gets drowned out easily in our busy, bustling lives, in which our time is mostly dictated by our endless commitments and to-do lists. Our attention flits between tasks, distractions, and demands. We may become overwhelmed and reactive, and it’s hard to focus deeply on anything. Yet it is in the experience of deep focus where we can hope to feel a syncing of our brain and heart….or the coherence of thinking, doing, and being. We’ve all at least occasionally had the beautiful experience of being so immersed in something we enjoy doing that we lose track of time. We are so captivated and on purpose that we become one with the focused energy of clear intention.
Your answers to the 3 questions above can become your clear intentions, ready to open up new possibility in your life. When the answers are drawn from the wisdom of the heart, they resonate with a pure energy that is imbued with the power of the very life-force. Tapping into this kind of energy naturally inspires us, opens us, and shows us the way. When this expansive energy fuels our actions, we now understand exactly what we’re doing, and why. As if by magic, our thoughts and intentions align with our actions and behaviors, and we have a new sense of wholeness…we realize a very satisfying integration.
This integration generally doesn’t just happen by chance, but rather by conscious design. The 3 questions are a starting place, and the way they are worded invites sincere, heart-led listening. The word “most” asks for clear discernment, since there are many things we want to know, to learn, and to contribute. Zeroing in on the ONE thing which has the greatest heartfelt energy behind it right NOW facilitates real and meaningful shift in our life.
The deep challenge for most people in answering these 3 questions is to get beyond all remnants of “shoulds,” beliefs borrowed from other people, and emotional confusion. When you think within an emotion, you are thinking in the past since the pure initial energy of an emotion is momentary, and what sensation lingers is doing so because you have attached thought-stories to it. Therefore those thoughts are about the past, or the chemical-emotional impulse which occurred in the past.
These questions ask us to arrive in the objective Present, and to know what there is to know right now about our true inspiration and desire. Of course, our answers will change as we grow and become. I like to ask these kinds of questions often, and keep them fresh and alive. I want to keep my LIFE fresh and alive, shifting and changing as I learn new things….grounding myself through all this shifting and changing with the deep knowing of the essence or consciousness of my being which is permanent and steady. Daily practices such as meditation, barefoot-walking in nature, and eating pure foods from nature help to keep this knowing current and unquestioning.
Much like the way that having strong core musculature around our spine frees all our limbs to move unrestricted, developing a strong spiritual core of the knowing of the immutable existence of our divine essence frees us to play and experiment unrestricted in the wide-open field of our material life on earth.
I hope these questions might become the fuel to spark meaningful new shifts in your life. There is an infinite number of high-quality questions you could ask to help yourself connect with the wisdom of your heart. May these 3 be a touchstone which will inspire a life-long regular practice of honest self-inquiry and deep listening. And may your answers compel actions and results that are aligned with your highest most loving intentions.
Thanks Ellen...I have copied this and put it on my dresser.
What, with all my heart, do I most want to know?
What, with all my heart, do I most need to learn?
What, with all my heart, do I most want to contribute?