Two questions I ask myself often

I kicked off 2016 with three pivotal questions that I ask myself throughout the year. To be more precise, there are two more questions that go through my head almost every day.

These questions consistently come up and are equally potent to the first three that I wrote about. It took me a while to sit with them in order to understand why I ask them so frequently.

For one, the act of questioning promotes healing and growth. When I ask, it releases the potential within the Universe for revelations, solutions, deeper insights, forgiveness, permission to feel, compassion, gratitude, lessons, etc. So I like to put it out there and see what happens. Eventually, the return unfolds like a carpet rolling out in front of me and blazing a trail.

Secondly, the questions anchor me in a higher awareness and center me so that I’m not as caught up in a low frequency emotional tailspin. Instead, my soul gathers inward to evolve further. Otherwise I feel like a scattered mess with energy pouring out of me in the futile directions of worry, anxiety, stress, sorrow, anger, annoyance, depression, confusion, guilt—you name it.

Sometimes I seek external guidance to receive the answers. Other times, I simply sit quietly and allow them to appear when they’re ready. (That’s really hard for me as I like to be proactive.)

Meanwhile, here are two more questions.

Question #4: What can I learn from this?

Challenges happen. Stress happens. When I’m in a funk or simply going through the course of my day, I ask what I can learn from the different situations that crop up—from the encounter with the grumpy woman at the checkout counter to the conversation with a friend that put me in a funk.

Sometimes I feel irritated by something repeatedly and I want to blame someone else or something outside of myself for my mood. However, the deeper I look within for the answer, the more I realize that I am the source of my own discomfort.

I find that asking the question of what I can learn from my irritation keeps me out of judgement mode and lands me a growing experience worth gaining from. Many times the answer is that I have to take more time out for myself or I need to communicate more effectively to get what I want.

It’s important not to dismiss our emotions or suppress them but take the time to acknowledge that they’re talking to us and need further inquiry in order to let them go.

Question #5: What is my body telling me?

If only doctors were taught to use this question! Sadly, most of the time modern medicine teaches people to treat symptoms instead of deciphering their hidden messages.

Got a headache? Pop a pill to make it go away rather than determine whether it was a lack of hydration or hormone-related. Suffering from indigestion? There’s a tablet for that. But few doctors tell you to stop eating the food that could have triggered the physical sign of imbalance in the body.

Medicine teaches to cover up the complaint with a bandage or get rid of it topically, and then if it goes away you’re cured. Of course, over time this approach fails miserably.

Look at skin, for instance. As the largest organ, the skin is an efficient way for the body to expel toxins. Different areas of the face correspond to various organs in the body, so finding out where a blemish appears often leads to a discovery of why it’s appearing.

A zit on the forehead may indicate a digestive issue, while a spot on the cheek could mean a respiratory problem (Allergies? Smoking?) Addressing the underlying causes of a symptom leads to a more thorough recovery, rather than simply applying a spot treatment to eliminate it. It will recur unless the problem is addressed thoroughly.

Getting into the habit of asking the different body parts what they’re telling me gives me resolution. Not a band-aid.

What are the questions that steer you through your day? Please share in the comments.