Centuries ago astrologers believe that the earth was the center of the universe. Doctors Believed that leeches were a cure for nearly any disease.  Scientists once believed that fire was made from an element called phlogiston. Mothers believed that giving morphine to a crying baby would calm them down. OK, I guess that’s technically correct, but you get the point?

When I was a kid, my cousin and I believed that if you sniffed a can of gas, it would make you run faster.  We also regularly checked any patch of dirt after it rained a lot because you know – quicksand.  I once thought I could dive into a pool from the second floor of an apartment building (I have a nice scar from that lesson).  I once asked my grandmother what the world was like when they lived in black and white.

When I was a teenager, I thought that “being cool” was something you could learn, not something you had to create. I thought that my friends would be with me forever. When I learned how to program Pascal in the ninth grade, I remember thinking “I’m glad I won’t have to learn another programming language.”

When I was in college, I thought I knew a lot until I realized how much I didn’t know.

I’ve been wrong a lot, and I’m OK with that.  For me the greatest success has come from asking the right questions, not having all the answers.  If you wait until you’ve gained every bit of knowledge about something you want to try, you are going to get passed up.

There isn’t always a “right” answer for a challenge you might face.  There are however lots of great questions you can ask. So many professions are built around the false belief that Knowledge is power. I believe that knowledge is not nearly as important as being aware of and comfortable with what you don’t know. Relying on the power of inquiry to get the answers you need is the real superpower.

Ask 100 Questions – Questions Are Better Than Ideas

I once had a professor tell me that true wisdom knows what questions to ask, not what answers to give.  I didn’t appreciate this nugget until I started keeping a daily Idea quota. Generating ten ideas a day is a lot easier if you are fluent at asking questions.   To get better here is an exercise you can do when you have 40-60 minutes of uninterrupted time.

Get your journal or piece of paper and write 100 questions that are important to you.  Your list can include anything you are curious about as long as it has some significance to you.  Create your whole list in one session.

I know 100 questions is a lot, but there is a reason for that volume. The first 15 or 20 questions will be easy.   The next 20 to 40 will likely yield themes,  and in the second half of the list, you are likely to discover unexpected inspiration.

You can increase your capacity for ideas by honing your question-asking skills. This requires shifting your focus from  “the right answer”  toward asking “Is this the right question?”

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