Ask yourself questions, then question your answers.

Ask yourself questions(ˈkwesCHən), then question your answers.

By Derek Sivers

Whether(ˈ(h)weT͟Hər) in your daily diary, or the “Thoughts On” journals, I find the single most useful thing has been using it as a place to ask myself questions, and answer them.

If I’m planning(ˈplaniNG) on doing something, I ask myself what I hope to get out of it, why, and whether there are other ways to get what I want.

When I’m feeling conflicted(ˈkänˌflikt), especially(iˈspeSHəlē), I’ll ask myself a bunch of questions to work through my feelings, looking for the source of the conflict, then ask myself more questions around the clash(klaSH) in values, and work through other alternate(ˈôltərˌnāt) ways I’d like things to be.

I answer with my initial(iˈniSHəl) thought first, but then question it afterwards with skepticism(ˈskeptəˌsizəm), and consider different perspectives. I hear this is similar to cognitive(ˈkägnətiv) behavioral therapy(ˈTHerəpē) — and I’ve been meaning to learn more about that. But whatever you call it, I think it’s been the single most important thing to my intellectual(ˌintlˈekCHo͞oəl) and emotional(əˈmōSH(ə)n(ə)l) development(dəˈveləpmənt).

Almost all the thoughts I have on any subject are the result of writing in my diary and journals, then questioning myself and working through alternate ways of thinking about it, and finally returning to the subject days or months later with a clear head and updated thoughts, seeing how they’ve changed or not over time.

I hope it helps you too.

https://sivers.org/dj