The FOUR important questions successful people ask ... Part 2 - WHY NOT?

QUESTION 2 - WHY NOT? ... 

WHY NOT WHAT? ...
                                  Why not ...              

raise your head ... open your eyes ...

look up ... look forward ... look broadly ...

be the real YOU ... be noticed ...

actively search for other ideas ...

 do something differently  ... do something else ... 

try a new thing ... dare to have a go ... 

go that extra mile ... do more than what's expected ... 

surprise them ... shock them ... 

maybe surprise and shock yourself ... 

YOU will be amazed at what you can achieve from asking yourself ... WHY [the hell] NOT?

In the previous blog of this series of four,  I talked about the question 'WHY' being a perfectly good question, a favourite of mine. Living a life of WHY-ing curiosity not only builds valuable knowledge, it also provides clarity ... you get to hear various opinions and really work out what YOU think, what YOU believe, what floats your boat in life ... and what doesn't. So, asking WHY helps you to know YOUR WHY and get clear on your purpose in life. 

If you haven't started there ... you may like to read the previous blog first -  PART 1 - WHY?

Now ... having said previously that WHY is a fav question of mine, I must admit that the second question that pops up for me - absolutely trumps that! WHY NOT? It's stronger ... it's where I go next to make sense of what I've just seen or heard ... it's where my knowledge, broad experiences, confidence, individuality, strong leadership drive, and a little WTF attitude kicks in ... to push ahead further ... to explore what's stopping me [and others] from taking the next step. 

WHY NOT? is a powerful question ... 

Lets start with YOU.  This question - WHY NOT? -  is a great way to challenge your own thinking ... especially if that little doubting voice of: ... 'I can't do that' ... pops up.   WHY can't you? Is it really that you 'can't', or more like you've decided you 'won't'.  How do you know you can't, if you haven't tried?  At what stage in your life did you decide 'this is it' ... 'this is all there will be' ... 'it's too late to change now'.  Why would you choose to do that?  Why not keep learning ... keep experiencing new things ... add some excitement and passion into your life?  

Yep ... I ask a lot of questions in my blogs. I have a genuine intent and purpose in doing so: ... I want you to be challenged, to question yourself first before you focus on questioning everyone else.  My purpose is to encourage you to be the greatest version you can be ... to feel successful in your own life, so you can model that for others. 

Powerful questions like - WHY NOT? - causes the start of many great conversations with the nay-sayers and risk adverse people ... helping to get to the core of their negative or anti-change responses. Some get power from saying NO [like having the 'balance of power' in politics] ... it is often their ego and need for significance that drives that response.  Many are simply fearful of the unknown [or change] ... stuck in their own comfort zones and scared the 'new' might not be 'better'. 

I love exploring options further with others to find out: ... 'WHY they say NO to considering other options' ... 'WHY they don't want to change' ... 'WHY they think it won't work'. It's a way to show them that often there are other choices they haven't considered. It's where you say NO to being pushed into a way-too-small box and YES to breaking down the walls to check out more possibilities.

WHY NOT? is a colourful question ...

In case you haven't noticed, I love Zebra stripe print. I also admire the Zebra animal ... it stands out from the other animals in the field ... each one is also distinguishable from it's fellow Zebra as each has it's own unique markings ... an individuality statement. So, even though the Zebra is perhaps simply black and white ... it makes a striking, bold statement. 

Now ladies, we know that while wearing black and white clothing can be quite striking, adding a splash of bright colour like red, or yellow, or rich blue ... can really take that outfit to the next level of boldness ... personalising it with your own individual style. How boring would the world be if everything was in black and white?

Similarly ... asking -WHY NOT? questions can do the same.  Like experimenting with colour, it adds the life and contrast into BLACK or WHITE ... YES or NO ... RIGHT or WRONG ... only THIS or only THAT. 

WHY NOT? is a BOLD question ...

Yes, it takes courage to challenge the status quo ... in yourself and others. The easy option may be to 'go with the flow' or simply keep accepting mediocre behaviour and average options ... but the best results comes from exploring the possibilities and grasping hold of the opportunities. 

Life is too short to not take action on the 'what ifs' and 'why nots'.  I really don't think anyone would lay on their death bed and say: ..."I wish I did less, experienced less, travelled less, tried less stuff ... ". Hmmmm ... now that's an interesting left-field thought ... and puts a good dose of reality into it. 

Successful people ask WHY NOT? ... a lot. They know there are always more options and ideas that they haven't thought of or tried yet. The world needs people who are willing to stand out from the average ... people who will inspire much needed change in their communities ... 

The world needs people who are bold enough to ask: WHY NOT? 

If you'd like to explore your WHY NOT with someone who can help you get to the core of what stops you from being the greatest version you can be, engage a Life / Leadership Coach  ... I would be happy to help or refer you to someone else who can assist you.

Stay tuned for Part 3 - WHY NOT ME? ...
... where I will share more about how to build your personal power and identify the fears that stop many from stepping up, standing out, and speaking up.