DRIVER QUESTIONS

We are all familiar with affirmations: statements about something you desire to be true in your life. The classic example of an affirmation is: “I am rich.” Right now listen to your mind as your say to yourself, “I am rich.” Did you hear the response in your mind? A voice in your head said something sarcastic like, “Yeah, right!”

The plain truth is that most of us interpret affirmations as lies. We don’t believe our own affirmations. Why? Because we are trying to convince ourselves of something we do not believe is true.

Now, traditional success teachers realize that you may not believe your affirmations, so they tell us to repeat our affirmations over and over. A thousand times, or a million times, or a bizillion times, or as many times as it takes until you eventually believe or manifest them.

How many times have you said positive affirmations (examples include “I am enough”, “I am rich” and “I’m happy”) and had absolutely nothing happen? Me too. About a gazillion other people have too.

The human mind is always in the process of asking questions and seeking answers. For example, if I ask you, “Why does a boat float?” your brain will immediately start seeking an answer.

“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” – Eugene Ionesco

Tony Robbins often says something to the effect that to be more successful you need to ask yourself better questions. Most people are unconsciously asking lousy questions, such as: “How come I am such a loser? Why can’t I do anything right? Why am I so lonely?

So if we make the affirmation “I am a millionaire”, our brain replies something like, “Yeah, right!” Asking “Why am I a millionaire?” will give you better results.

Try it right now. Ask yourself, “Why am I so rich?” Notice what your brain is doing right now? It is searching for the answer!

What is the primary Driver Question that is strongly influencing the outcome of your life? Years ago I came across the idea that we all live out of a “Driver Question” that acts as a compass — guiding us on either an anabolic or catabolic direction. Some people live out of the question, “What’s the next bad thing that’s going to happen?” or “How do I keep people from getting angry at me?” Some live in the question, “How do I impress people so I’ll be respected?”

Since the mind automatically triggers on questions, be VERY careful about the questions you ask yourself. Each question produces a different emotion and a different behavior. For example, if you ask yourself, “How do I keep people from getting angry at me?” it will create timidity and attract abusive individuals. “When will the next bad thing happen?” will usually produce fear and a focus on what’s awful. “How do I impress people so I will be respected?” often generates an inner emptiness and/or shallowness of character.

At one time I uncovered the fundamental question that ran my life was, “What do I have to get done next?” It was no coincidence that at the time I was acting more like a human doing than a human being.

The really great news about “Driver Questions” is that once we are aware of the principle, we can deliberately choose a more supportive question! This realization inspired a search for a question that would always show me my true north — a question that would consistently lead me in the right direction. What do you think might be your own Driver Question? Would there be any benefit in shifting it to something even more supportive?

Please consider a few of the following ‘Driver Question’ possibilities:

How can I be the best person I can possibly become? What do I really enjoy about my work right now?
How do I have so much fun, getting so much done in so little time? How can I serve others in a way that really works well for everyone? How can I fill my heart with more Love?

My current drive question is “How can I best express love and kindness? Another great question you might want to ask yourself is: “Why am I allowed to do, be and have all that I want in life?”

In Light and Love,
Michael