You know when you have a project or a vision but can’t quite get things to click into place? Not even enough to get the ball rolling?

Maybe you saw yourself assuredly delegating tasks to your assistant. But then realize you don’t trust her to fix any mistakes.

Or you felt yourself effortlessly lead that mastermind workshop. Only to realize you have nothing to say as you plan the workshop outline.

Or just maybe, it was the cool, confident way you handled that sticky client issue during the last session. And then you remember “cool” and “confident” just aren’t you.

I understand.

And I found the solution for you.

I recently read More Time to Think, by Nancy Kline. The book goes into to detail on how we can help others around us to be better independent thinkers.

There are a few keys to making this happen, which the author calls Components, ranging from Attention to Equality to Questions.

And, probably not surprisingly, you talk much less than the Thinker. The poser of the question is usually best equipped to answer their own question after all.   

I love the idea of creating the space that allows others to think deeper, more independently. It’s in that space that the magic in our brains starts to happen, the gears really start to work.

But what about independent thinking for ourselves?

The book’s concept is framed around what to do when talking with someone else or a whole group of people.

How can we get ourselves to think deeper?

It’s that last Component from above – Questions.

We need to be asking more questions to ourselves.

I’m not just talking about any question.

I mean open-ended, thought-provoking, might-not-have-the-answer-in-the-first-second kinds of questions.

The questions that make you say, “hmmmm…”, followed by “maybe this way…” and then a “or could it be that way?”

It’s here that your visions and problems and situations and projects come in.

Instead of diving right into planning and building mode. Trying to solve the problem by tactical doing.

What might happen if you took a step back and asked yourself those thought-provoking questions?

Ponderings like:

• How would I like my clients to feel today?
• What does the audience know already and what would I like them to know at the end?
• What am I assuming about my assistant that is preventing me from delegating more to her?
• What is the most vital piece of information my client needs to know?
• If I knew I had something to say, how would I show up for the workshop?
• How do I want to show up for my business today?

Dive fully into the thoughts.

Say them out loud.

Have a dialogue with yourself.

Allow the silence.

Write down the key points.

Breathe.

Give yourself love for allowing the space to think deeply and independently to get through your mental block.

Now, I’d love to know – where do you need to be asking yourself more questions?

Where are you “knowing the answer” instead of asking “what might the answer be?”

 

 

Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash