A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements.

A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements. – Bo Bennett

This is the battle cry that defined a generation and changed the course of a nation. What questions are you willing to ask?

What does that mean?
To me, it means that you can talk all you want.  All that does is reinforce what you already know, what you already think, what you already believe.  Telling other people this will reinforce it in them, but will not seriously change them.  When you ask a question, the people who are listening will begin to think.  Thinking and questioning will change them far more than having the same old thing said again and again.

Why is questioning important?
Question Authority, man!  Those of us in the U.S. with gray hair might remember that, or even have said it at some point.  Why was that question so powerful?  It challenged the status quo, how things worked, what people thought was right and the very way people looked at their government.  That question shaped a generation, and changed the trajectory of a nation.

Complacency is the opposite of change.  Statements speak to complacency, questions speak to change.  Besides the radicals of the 1960’s, who else has asked powerful questions?  What were the results of the answering of the questions?  Sometimes, what the one who asked believed was the obvious answer, isn’t the one seized by the masses.  For example, those ’60’s radicals told us to not trust anyone over 30.  Now, many are twice that age, and attempt to tell us what we should do.  Why is that?  Questions are unquestionably powerful.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Where are you complacent in your life.  Ask the question “Why?”  Why are you behaving in that manner, under those circumstances?  What would be better?  When should I do it this way, and when should I do it differently?  When (NOW) would be a good time to start? How was that for subtle?

What parts of your life have you become complacent about?  Perhaps your body, your relationships, your goals in life, what is going on around you, or something else had become invisible, uninteresting or even disgusting.  But not enough so to stir you to action.  Ask yourself “why?”  Why have you allowed things to get to this point, yes, ask that.  More importantly, ask yourself what you intend to do about it.

How long has it been since you changed anything in your house?  Moved some furniture, painted some walls, added or removed artwork?  How many times since the last change have you said “this is so (insert whatever word is appropriate), I should change it.”?  If it was close to a thousand days (nearly 3 years), it might be time to ask a question.  Possible questions include: What would look better?  Why have I waited so long to do something about that?  Should I use red or blue?  Which wall would be best for the couch?

For example, this is a question I asked myself a few years back: “What do I have to do to be able to keep up with my toddler son?”  When I became frustrated at not being able to keep up with him, I decided to get up off my butt and get a personal trainer at a local gym.  It took two years to undo two decades of sloth, but that was a question that changed my world.  He still tries to keep up with me.  Sure, he can get to the corner before I do, but I reel him in before he gets more than a few houses past the corner.

For example, a question: “Can I imagine a happy life without her?”  When I realized I was smitten with my (now) wife, that was the question that lead to the REAL question being asked.  Once the first question was answered, the die was cast, and it was time to get busy with all that attended the other question (nice restaurant, a ring, flowers, …).

Examine your life, and ask the big questions.  Then the little questions will tend to themselves.

From: Twitter, undocumented feed (my bad)
confirmed at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/bobennett167535.html
Photo by theopie