“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”

The Power of Questions OVER Statements

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” Truer words are rarely spoken. This often quoted statement was uttered by Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, more than 100 years ago.  How often are we stopped by our own thoughts and statements from reaching our dreams and goals? It happens a lot more than you think and I know firsthand because I, like many other people, often fall victim to my own disempowering beliefs and thinking. I learned way back in 1991 when I attended my first Anthony Robbins seminar that we have control over how we think and what we come to believe and those thoughts and beliefs have the power to shape our destiny. Thoughts are very powerful things and how we think to ourselves about what we can and cannot do influences our results or lack thereof.

Statements such as “telemarketing no longer works” or “we can’t get enough clients” stop all thought and dialogue on how telemarketing works or how you could obtain more clients. One way to change this is to turn statements into questions. Instead of declaring that telemarketing no longer works try thinking along the lines of how can we improve our telemarketing results? The latter statement turns on the brain to come up with ideas and new approaches. The former shuts it off; it doesn’t work, end of story! You can use this approach questioning on all kinds of problems and concerns. “My kid will never stop drinking or using drugs” becomes “How can I help my child stop using alcohol or drugs.” To many of you reading this it may sound elementary. While it is a simple concept it really can make a world of difference in many areas of your life. I personally have used this change in perspective to turn around all sorts of situations and improve aspects of my business and personal relationships significantly.

Give this subtle little shift in communicating a try and you’ll be amazed at how when you turn a statement into a question that three pound super computer between your ears will go to work trying to answer it. Several million years of evolution help this process. Our brains are wired to solve problems when presented in the correct manner.

Does it always work? Will you always come up with a solution or new idea? Of course not but it’s certainly better than closing off all further dialog and thought process. Give it a try, you might just be amazed by the results, I know I was.

Bruce Clark, CEO Author, NCI Effect, Explosive Client Growth Plan for Accountants and CPAs www.NCIEffect.com