16 Dec When life throws you a curveball, this is the MOST instantly empowering question you can ask
To best convey the most instantly empowering question you can ask when life throws you a curveball, I need to tell you this first. During the winter months in snow country, we’re quite accustomed to the police reminding us how to drive in dangerous winter weather. Too often, when someone hits an icy patch, skids and loses control of their car, the mistake they make is to turn the steering wheel in the extreme opposite direction of the skid. Then, without fail, the car starts going much too far over in that direction so they frantically turn the steering wheel back in the other direction. Back and forth they go, resulting in one big chaotic mess.
The tip the police give us is this. Should you find yourself losing control of the car, pick a point on the horizon you want to get to and slowly, steadily steer the car in that direction. This of course, is in keeping with: Where you look you will go.
This can also be applied to Life
When you hit an “icy patch” in life and your world is thrown into chaos, you too, might react out of panic. Moments like this can trigger your deepest fears of feeling unsafe, abandoned, not good enough and powerless. And like the car that’s skidding out of control, you might find yourself moving erratically in one direction and then another, causing more chaos and getting nowhere. At a time like this, it’s easy to feel victimized by the events taking place.
Your Inner Navigation System
But you are not a victim. Nor are you lost and powerless. Why? Because you have an inner navigation system. When life throws you a curveball, the most instantly empowering question you can ask to take back control of your life is: “What purpose does this Serve?”
In asking this question, you immediately catapult yourself out of being a victim of circumstance, and into being the director of your life. You have gone from Fear: Why is this happening to me?, to Power: How can I use this to take me forward? Fear -> Power. In doing so, you’ve put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your life and activated your critical thinking faculty, which is exactly where you need to be to effectively deal with the challenges before you.
Simply by changing the question from one that is Fear-based to one that is Empowered, you’ve opened up a whole new world of possibilities that will dictate your future in very positive ways.
An added bonus to this is that chronic stress can lead to the enlargement of the Amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for processing fear, emotions, emotional behaviour etc.) and the shrinkage of the Prefrontal Cortex (responsible for planning complex cognitive behaviour, critical thinking, decision making etc.). This makes the brain even more susceptible to stress.
Therefore, by training yourself when challenged to ask “What purpose does this serve?”, you can refrain from damaging your brain and body, and experiencing life from a higher stress point.
The MOST empowering question you can ask: What purpose does it Serve?
So, life just threw you a curveball. What’s your answer to the question: What purpose does it Serve?
- Is it to get you unstuck from settling for less?
- Do you need to live to a higher code of personal integrity and accept responsibility for your actions?
- Are you being eclipsed and undervalued? Do you need to come out from the shadows and be seen, heard and valued?
- Have you forgotten about Inclusiveness and Respect in the pursuit of your goals?
- It could be that you need to be reminded of the inherent wisdom in Letting go and Allowing
- Have you taken too much for granted?
- Are you sabotaging yourself from getting the very thing you want?
- Do you need to learn the true nature of Love?
Whatever it might be, once you’ve found the answer to “What purpose does this serve?” you’ve located your ‘point on the horizon’. You can now begin steering your Life out of chaos and into alignment with Purpose.
One final mention
The title of this post suggests that this is the most empowering question to ask when your life is suddenly thrown into chaos. However, with some small modifications, this can be used for any decisions you have to make, regarding anything, at any point in your life. For example: Will this decision serve my higher purpose? Does this action align with my goals? Do the words I’m about to speak serve the highest good of my relationship? This in turn will create a higher degree of Living Mindfulness and Personal Integrity.
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Thank you for taking time to read this post! The right information at the right time is a most powerful catalyst for change. For Coaching, Workshops or an Inspiring Talk on this valuable topic, please contact me:
Kristina Jansz, Life Skills and Empowerment Strategies 705 794-9900 | [email protected]
(c) Titans International Inc. Kristina Jansz 2019, 2020
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