The last few articles have explored the importance of inquiry and where the questions what if, what, why, and when fit in the process of reaching for our dreams.
Understand there will be endless questions along the journey, and they will come fast and furious. However, most are framed within the six fundamental asks, what, when, why, where, who, and how.
The Question How.
How is an inquiry that typically goes hand in hand with the question when?
Most of us who anticipate the outcomes of our efforts want to know when we will see the results and how?
How will our dreams come to fruition?
How will we know we have arrived?
How will it all be in the end?
The Miracle of the Wait!
There is one genuinely miraculous thing about planting a seed, the how.
You see, we know what we plant.
And we have an idea of what that plant may look like when it sprouts.
However, we will not know how beautiful it will be until it blooms.
The only hand we really have in the process of growth is planting and nourishing. But unfortunately, we can’t see the work happening beneath the soil.
It’s a lot like a baby growing within the womb. We know that it’s happening. We have an idea of what is happening. There is an inkling of what the outcome will look like. We even have a tentative when. But the how is out of our control.
We have no idea how the limbs form or how they knit together. We are just witnesses of the process. So there is no choice but to let the process take care of itself. This takes the most enormous leap of faith.
But there is no need for dismay. The extraordinary sense of awe one gets to experience when everything finally comes together is indescribable and well worth every pang experienced.
An Experience I well Understand
I am a testament to this. My womb has held five beautiful seeds. And miraculously, I have had the opportunity to birth four of those four beautiful children. I had no idea how it all came together each time, but it did. And each time, I was awed. And giving birth to your dreams is no different.
So I charge you to hang in there and enjoy the process. Because what is up ahead will be unbelievably breathtaking.
In the line of questioning, reasonably, the first question one typically asks is what and then why?
But once we have figured out what we desire and our purpose (the why), logically, we ask when.
Two Times That the Question When is Our Biggest Inquiry
There are two times where the question of when becomes one’s primary focus. The first is while one is at the start of the journey, while the other is when one is well on the way to fulfilling their desire.
The First Time One Raises the Inquiry When
The first time one raises the inquiry when, is in determining a time frame to set adrift; asking questions such as,
When do I start?
As much as one may want guidance in this area, this is a personal question. No one can tell you the right time to start your journey. To determine readiness, it’s something you must sit with and assess
Shetty, who is the author of this phenomenal book entitled Think Like a Monk, so eloquently points out,
Sometimes it helps to sit with a question in the back of your mind for a day, even a week. Then, very often, you’ll find that what you are ultimately searching for is an internal feeling.” (Shetty 74)
So with this in mind, it becomes obvious that knowing when to take a leap is as much a feeling as anything. However, even given this knowledge, one thing remains sure, if you never start, you will never get where you are going. So never procrastinate.
Think about it for a moment.
There will never be a tomorrow, and yesterday is way too late, so now is all you will ever have.
The Second Time One raises the Inquiry When
There is yet another time where when becomes the primary driver. That time comes while looking to the horizon after much work and effort has been applied.
The questions most asked are;
When is it going to come true for me?
When is it going to all come together?
Unfortunately, this is also a question no one can answer for us.
Things take time.
There are no definitive timelines or dates when it comes to fulfilling goals.
There are no magic eight balls that can reveal when everything we have worked for will pay off.
We can set deadlines and work towards that time frame. Yet, there will still be so much that must fall into place to fulfill our dreams.
So, when is as miraculous a thing as any?
Not Knowing When Something Will Happen, Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Work.
Face it, despite not having a definitive when; there will never be a success without action.
You must press on anyway. Because to reap a harvest, the seed must be in the ground.
Shetty said it like this,
Nor can we expect someone to fund us, discover how amazing we are, and hand us our place in the world. Nobody is going to create our lives for us.”
So, assuredly If you are willing to put in the work, the when will come if you believe.
Here is Where Your Why Comes In
You must use your purpose to carry you all the way. Because while you are waiting, when things get a little challenging, your purpose will sustain you. Then,
“The work itself will bring you a sense of fulfillment even if you don’t succeed as quickly, or ever” (79)
Of all the questions in the world, the one that is perhaps asked the most is why?
Why is a question to elicit understanding, but it is like a double-edged sword.
How is that?
Why can be one of the most difficult questions to deal with.
Unfortunately, there is not always an answer to our whys?
For example:
Why must we suffer?
Why did it happen to me?
Why can’t I get ahead?
Sincerely, no one can answer those questions, for not all things have a rationale, and not all explanations are just.
So it is, when there is so much left to the universe, to open interpretation, asking why leaves us with more questions than solutions.
In such cases, the contention is strong.
And many will contend that it’s simply foolish to dwell on the why and simply stop asking.
But on this sentiment, I do not agree.
There is a purpose and place for everything.
Inquiry helps us to improve, progress, and grow. Even when there seems to be nothing to learn, there is always a lesson.
Discovery
Frankly, asking why doesn’t merely lead to endless conundrums. Asking why also leads to discovery.
Why, is also a question of purpose?
When one wants to form a solution or provide a fix to something, one of the first things they must inquire is, why something is broken?
Without knowing the why behind a broken thing, you can’t possibly know how to fix it.
The Significance of Why in Achievement
When setting out on a journey to do the remarkable, or create magic in the world, knowing your why is the core of impetus.
A few questions which can be asked on the path to discovery,
Why am I doing this?
Why is this so important?
Why do I need to keep pushing?
If your why is powerful enough, it will sustain you.
Keep Your Why In Front of You
Once your why (motive) is discovered, keep it in front of you like a guiding lamplight for the midnight hours of life. Because It will lead you to your destination.
As someone once said.
One of the most pertinent success factors is often having a big enough why.
When you find that your why becomes so much bigger than your what if? Then nothing will stand in your way.
All highly competent people continually search for ways to keep learning, growing, and improving. They do that by asking WHY. After all, the person who knows HOW will always have a job, but the person who knows WHY will always be the boss.
Inquiry means to question. It is the process by which we find insight.
Inquiry is an investigation, a seeking after. It is a tool that drives knowledge.
As one person once said, the more you know, the more you grow.
And in the words of another,
“Part of being successful is about asking questions and listening to the answers.” Anne Burrell
The Purpose of this Series
So, this series touches on some of the most important points of inquiry one will put forth in their life. With great hope, this series may guide you into asking better questions. Or, it may also help you determine which question you should be asking to move forward and live your best life. Whatever measure you might find this useful, hopefully, it serves to motivate you.
There are six major investigative questions, as most of us have learned from our grade school studies. Those questions are what, why, when, where, who, and how? And as an extra measure, I included the question, what if at the start of this series.
What is an inquiry of direction? It is the question one poses when definition or clarity is needed.
In life, one must remember that it is impossible to go anywhere or accomplish anything unless they have defined their what.
And, so it is, what becomes one of the most important guiding questions on the path to success.
Very Little Clarity at the Start
Starting is never as simple as it seems. You might not always have everything figured out when you start on a path. In fact, you may be very confused because acclimation is a process.
And confirmation often comes after the start.
That is why “what” is one of the best questions one can ask when setting on a path to better understanding?
In all our lives, we have a period of learning ourselves. This period starts when we become toddlers and start exploring our world.
We then seek to understand how and where we fit in.
Funny enough, before we can completely understand ourselves and how we relate to our environments, one of the first questions we are asked is, what do we want to be when we grow up?
At the time of such an inquisition, it is rare that we even have an inkling of who we desire to be. So we go by the things we observe, the things most prevalent in our environments. That is how we determine our choice.
Our initial selection rarely becomes our last!
Sometimes it takes a lifetime to discover what we want or are meant to become.
We look at our world, our separate environments for markers, for cues to help us determine what is possible and acceptable. And, if the things that fill our imagination neither seem possible nor acceptable, we reshape our aim.
This is sad, but that is how we come to choose our paths. Fortunately, there is a silver lining.
Things don’t have to remain the way they were.
Never too Late to Find Your What?
Yes, much of what you want is shaped by your environment and peers, which can be stifling.
But it’s never too late to make alterations.
Because fortunately, if you want something enough, you have the power to shape your reality to match your desires rather than bowing to what you have been taught to believe was an impossibility.
However, this requires a constant re-examination, asking oneself,
Is this what I really want? And then what can I do about what I have discovered?
Trust that If you want to live a fulfilled life, what is a question you cannot avoid asking?
The biggest question you will ever ask yourself in life is the question, What If? It is also one of the saddest questions you will pose to yourself over your life span.
Importance of Inquiry
One of the keys to unlocking what you want in life is asking questions. Asking questions opens worlds, and it will take you in directions you never fathomed.
“The key to wisdom is this – constant and frequent questioning, for by doubting we are led to question, by questioning we arrive at the truth.” – Peter Abelard
There is a saying that no question is a bad question. There is much truth to that.
However, some questions can become stumbling blocks while others are instruments for propulsion.
What If is one of those questions that fit in both categories.
What If Questions
Face it in life; obstacles come. And we all reach a point where we must decide to push through or relent.
Posing the what-if question can prove very beneficial when coming up against obstacles.
The easiest option is always to concede after looking at the pain of now.
However, the wise person takes an honest assessment, submits to a cost/benefit analysis, or more plainly poses the question, What/if?
A few What If Questions that Drive Decisions
There are more than a few what-if questions that drive decisions.
What if I quit? Then how will I benefit? How will it make me feel in the present? How will it make me feel down the road?
What if I don’t quit? What will I have to commit to in the present? How will it make me feel? How will things turn out down the road?
Asking what if helps to look at things realistically, allowing one to paint a more accurate picture of the short-term/long-term benefits vs. the short/long-term costs.
And if applied and considered honestly, it could save an individual a lot of heartaches.
This brings us to the point where What/If becomes the saddest question.
What If The Saddest Question
What/If becomes the saddest question when life renders one unable to progress as they once could or when an opportunity has passed and gone. It is then that what/if becomes a question of wishful thinking.
At this point, what/if becomes a question riddled with guilt?
What/If becomes purely reflective.
For Example:
What if I had taken an opportunity?
What if I had listened?
What if I hadn’t quit?
What if I could change things?
The past is already written. You can only act from the point of now. So here, this question is fruitless.
A Word to You
So remember, there will come a time when you are filling the pages left in the reflective journal of the story of your life. At that point, reflection pervades most of one’s waking hours.
So I implore you while the sprigs of life are green to ask What/If?
Inspiraelevation 