Wow, reading through this post from last fall was a great refresher for me – this is advice I constantly need to give to myself on a regular basis!
I think we can all agree that even though we work at home, we can still have “bad days at the office”. Some days we just get discouraged. Others we wonder what the hell we are doing. And on the really bad days, we question whether we are really doing the right thing and how the heck we will ever turn it around.
There are times when calling it quits is the right decision – just like there are times when it’s the right decision to leave a job and move onto something else. Other times, we just need to overcome some bad emotions or limiting beliefs so that we can keep going until the light at the end of the tunnel starts to appear. This post is for those of you who want to keep going when you just can’t seem to get past a certain hurdle or obstacle.
I believe very strongly in the following two presuppositions about people:
- The resources you need to succeed are already within you
- There are no unresourceful people, only unresourceful states of mind
How do we access unresourceful states of mind? It’s simple – we ask ourselves unresourceful questions.
Allow me to give you some examples of unresourceful questions:
- What am I doing wrong?
- Why do I keep messing up?
- Why can’t I get the results I want to achieve?
- What am I missing?
Think about the answers you would give yourself to such questions. You are telling your mind to go looking for answers that will continue to reinforce your doubt, frustration, and generally crappy state of mind.
The power to access better resources is found by asking questions that force us to look for great, empowering answers.
So, without further ado, here are 10 resourceful questions to ask of yourself:
- What would I have to believe about myself in order to know with 100% certainty that this business is the right path for me?
~ - What would I have to believe about myself and my business in order to feel excited about the challenge of overcoming the current obstacle in front of me?
~ - What am I faced with right now that is actually a great opportunity for growth?
~ - What would I have to believe about this opportunity in order to take on this challenge with excitement and gratitude for the chance to make a change?
~ - If I were to tackle this day [week, month!] with my most creative resources available to me, what would I do, think and believe differently than I am doing in this moment?
~ - What would have to happen in order for me to feel as though my business is a success no matter what? What can I do now in order to make that happen?
~ - What resources are available to me that I haven’t tapped into yet to build my business – are there friends, business acquaintances, or books that I know for certain can help me take my business to the next level?
~ - What things do I already know about my business that will make me successful that I haven’t done yet – and what would make me feel excited about implementing a plan of action to do them immediately?
~ - What accomplishments have I already achieved in my business – and what lessons can I take from those past successes that will enable me to repeat them?
~ - If my future self could travel back in time to this moment and give me some advice, what would she/he say that would completely energize and motivate me to succeed?
Remember – the power of a great question lies in a very, very key component – you have to go searching for the great answer within yourself. 
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Sparkplugging Founder Wendy Piersall is dang passionate about helping people start & grow a business while maintaining life balance (somehow). 
Easton Ellsworth is owner of 
Hi Wendy – these are great questions indeed. I will have to work on answering them as I’m sure it will help me achieve my 2008 goals! Happy New Year!
Wendy the resourceful questions are brilliant because they help develop possibilities and focus on approaches to change things. What an excellent post to begin the New Year.
The reason the unresourceful questions go nowhere is that they focus on negatives, such as guilt or poor self image. When we see ourselves in that light we get stuck in that mire and go nowhere. One other thing that happens is that our brains get full of the hormone cortisol, which leads to circular thinking.
Wow, what a great way to start out 2008! I’m printing these questions out and tacking them in a place where I can see them every day.
I’m seeing many people write about why positive thinking is far more helpful (and gets way better results!) than guilty thinking. Maybe everyone is on to something here…
Thanks Wendy,
Fantastic list of resourceful questions we need to ask ourselves.
One of the most powerful ones that really stood out to me was….
“What accomplishments have I already achieved in my business – and what lessons can I take from those past successes that will enable me to repeat them?”
It’s important to give yourself a pat on the back & acknowledge your successes no matter how small…and to learn from past successes & mistakes to help us move forward each & every day.
For many of us procrastination holds us back and is definitely the robber of profits… as is the negativity of others around us.
Focus & Action…You don’t have to get it perfect… Just get it going!
Definitely questions people need to ask themselves in order to see the big picture, congratulations for a great article.
Alan Johnson
Thanks for the great post Wendy.
I know all too well how asking yourself the wrong type of questions can point you in the wrong place.
I had a major heart attack in 2004 which left damage and was in-operable. Now I live with little to zero energy and I also fight depression almost daily.
When I am working on my blogs I try really hard to do things right the first time because frustration can really drag me down fast.
Your list of questions is a whole lot better than the list of questions that come to mind when I am getting down.
I will print them out and put them on my cork-board so I can see them at all times. Thanks
Nice list of questions which people really need to as themselves
“If my future self could travel back in time to this moment and give me some advice, what would she/he say that would completely energize and motivate me to succeed?”
This reminds me of The Office when Jim sends Dwight messages from him future self. Good times.
Nice article.
Indeed, it’s always good to picture yourself a certain number of years from now and imagine how a certain decision you are about to make could affect you. Seeing things in perspective is definitely an approach I’d recommend.
Alan Johnson
By reading this I need motivation….
My best,
Dorothy from grammology.com
remember to call gram
http://grammology.com
Motivation alone is simply not going to cut it. Sure, you might experience a short-term desire to work towards achieving a certain goal but wihtout determination, everything will be in vain.
Alan Johnson