Life is a series of questions with many possible answers. We wake up and ask ourselves a thousand questions like “what do I want to eat for breakfast”, or “what shall I wear”, and “do I really want to go to work today”. We go through our days constantly asking ourselves some form of a question. “Did I do that right” or “should I do this or that first”? Some answers have a simple yes or no answer. Some need more specific answers and take a little more thought.

Now asking yourself a question and asking someone else a question are two entirely different things. When making decisions for yourself, you both ask and answer the question, but asking someone else requires you to wait for their response.

I work part-time in an industry that requires me to ask a few simple questions, and those questions initially tend to be basic yes or no answers. But depending upon what the answer is, you could possibly get into the more detailed answers.

Now, here’s my issue… my fear and anxiety tell me to just not ask a question at all if I think the answer will be NO. Here is the thing though, I am finding (and have been told by a close friend) that by worrying that someone will say NO and then ultimately doing nothing, in essence, is telling yourself NO. I/ You end up cutting off any opportunity for success, in whatever area it may be, by assuming to know the answers before even asking the questions.

Sure, it would be nice to know all the answers before any question ever popped into the mind, but where’s the fun in that? That takes out all of the mystery, challenge, and life experience that can be gained by communicating with others. And on top of that, sometimes a good solid No can turn out to be a great answer.

My point in this post is, don’t sell yourself short. Don’t let anxiety rob you of opportunity. Don’t let assumption tell you lies that you believe. Don’t be afraid to ask all the questions, both the easy and the hard. Life is full of answers, but you’ll never hear them unless you ask the questions.

Published by Jeff

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