In my recent post, I talked about the importance of finding and following your One Burning Question. Following your One Burning Question creates passion. It creates interest. It changes your life.
Why do you need One Burning Question in your life?
Quality questions create a quality life. – Anthony Robbins
Finding your One Burning Question is about finding the highest quality question possible – the one that ignites your life.
My Apologies
I realized after I hit publish on How To Stop Being Boring, I hadn’t given you any clear ways to find your One Burning Question. I’m sorry for that. That’s like telling someone to go somewhere new without giving them a map.
Getting Ready
Stop worrying about whether you know your life purpose or not. Stop waiting for the perfect moment to start living your passionate life. Commit to this process. With every Burning Question you find, you come one step closer to your purpose.
Get something to write with – a journal, a text editor, whatever moves you.
Create a space. Make sure that you can have twenty minutes to an hour of quiet and uninterrupted time to write and think.
Close your eyes and empty your mind. Spend five to ten minutes just focusing on your breath and becoming present. You can’t focus on this task unless you are ready to.
You have everything you need in this moment. Your question is inside you, waiting to be expressed.
It is time to uncover it.
Finding Your One Burning Question*
Start writing questions that you find interesting. Be as curious as possible.
Ask questions that you want to know the answer to. Ask questions that when answered, will serve others.
Perhaps you have a hint of what your purpose or question is. Start with those subjects that you are passionate about.
Open yourself to any question that comes to mind, and write it down. There are no wrong questions.
Do not stop writing, even if the only question you can come up with is, “Why am I doing this?”
As your list grows, pay attention to how you respond internally to each question.
For each question that resonates slightly, dig deeper. Ask a more precise question. Get clear on what elements you are responding too.
If you bottom out digging into a question, continue to ask questions in other areas. Combine elements that affect you.
Take care of yourself in this process; it can be emotionally intense, frustrating, uplifting and depressing all at once. Stand up, give yourself a few minutes to breathe, and go back if you need some perspective.
Stop only when you feel that you have found your One Burning Question, or you are unable to continue. Do not stop because of frustration or discomfort. Those are signs of resistance coming up because you are close.
If you are having trouble finding a question that truly sets your passion on fire and fills you with motivation, it is ok. Follow the questions that feel warm.
These are the bread crumbs leading you toward your One Burning Question. Keep asking. You deserve to know.
*: This process is heavily influenced by Steve Pavlina’s, How to Find Your Life Purpose in About 20 Minutes. I highly recommend that if you are looking for another perspective.
Knowing your One Burning Question
You will know it when you ask it. Your One Burning Question will ignite and excite you. Hearing it once will light the fuse on your passions.
Listen to your body. Every part of your body can give you immediate feedback. Your heart expands or contracts; your gut rises or sinks; your back tenses or releases. Be aware.
Listen to your heart. Does your question open your heart? If it doesn’t, it is not your question.
Let these physiological, emotional and spiritual responses are guide you to your truth. They are your natural wisdom.
As I was reminded in a recent guest post on Gaping Void by Brian Solis:
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
Seeking the answer to your One Burning Question is one way to create yourself.
If you have any questions or feedback about this process, please share them in the comments. I am here to serve you in your journey.
My next post in this series will be about following and answering your One Burning Question. Would you like to receive fresh Grokkery right as it is served up?Then please subscribe by RSS, subscribe by Email or follow me on Twitter. Every reader helps me move closer to living the reality of creating and contributing value as my primary source of income. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
that post is inspiring because it lets people dig into their dreams and try to find a way to reach them, thank you
Thanks Farouk! Definitely wanting to dig into this concept more and really flesh it out for the readers here.
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Hey Jonathan! Found your post via an article on The Simpler Life. I love the idea of one burning question, and I especially love the exercise of actually putting my one burning question into words (instead of having it float amorphously around in my head).
My OBQ: “Why do some people accomplish great things, while others fade into mediocrity – and how can we become members of the former group?”
Hey Jeffrey! Thanks for stopping by. Definitely honored to have your input here.
I really enjoy your OBQ – it really speaks to the desire to have a legacy and to make a difference. I definitely feel that the question is highly subjective (as it should be for an OBQ!) – Bill Gates or Steve Jobs may have had a huge public impact on the world, but what about the people that have an extremely significant impact that remains private? The amazing but unsung fathers, mothers, older siblings, grand parents, etc.
I guess my question to you is – what is your definition of mediocrity, and what is your definition of great things?
For a long time, I was conflicted in exactly the way you illustrate here. I truly admired people who made a “huge public impact” on the world, but I couldn't bring myself to ignore the people who have a private, but significant impact.
But recently, I've come to really understand the truth that I don't need to be everything to everyone all at once. My message is that we can all have huge public impacts, that we can all do great things – but that doesn't mean everyone has to agree with me or that people who have significant, private impacts are bad people. It just means that my tribe, my people, the ones I'm speaking to, are the ones who have a burning desire to not only have an impact, but to share that impact on a large scale.
On greatness vs. mediocrity – I think the biggest difference is the test of time. Greatness lasts and is remembered; mediocrity fades, blends in, and is forgotten.
“No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history.” – William Hazlitt
My question back to you: When you talk about “amazing but unsung fathers, mothers, older siblings, grandparents, etc.” – WHY are they unsung? Why do they remain unsung in a day and age where we can freely share our lessons, our stories, our thoughts with thousands of people all around the world? If Steve Jobs sees a market need for a new device, he creates it and makes a huge public impact. I say, there's a huge market need for individual leadership, for mothers to share their wisdom and stories and experiences with other mothers, for teachers to share their lessons with other teacher and students, for each of us to take our private victories and show other people how to do the same. Sharing creates impact, and it's something we can all do.
(Btw shhhhh, this is the topic for my next post; no fair spoiling the surprise for everyone else!)
I believe that they are unsung because we live in a society where the dollar is valued and given more pursuit than personal connection.
I believe that there is a huge market need for individual leadership, but that such individual leadership does not translate as effectively into products like iPhones, etc. There is a huge untapped market for individual writers, artists, contributors, etc., who can produce useful products for their tribe, but it isn't mass marketable because the masses aren't all playing at that level of consciousness.
I also believe that overall, people don't like to be challenged. We as bloggers and the tribes we have or are a part of tend to love challenges and growth – that isn't the case with most people. Many are closed to new ideas, alternate perspectives or challenging new paradigms. Where as the iPad feeds people more media in a comfortable way, new paradigms from unsung heroes are not as celebrated because they approach the heart, which is much more guarded than the pocketbook.
Perhaps when the masses are awakened, the unsung heroes will be celebrated.
I'll agree that mass consumerism is a big part of society today, but I think that just reinforces our need for individual changemakers. Perhaps individual artists and leaders don't have the immediate reach or mass-market appeal of the newest iPhone – and perhaps the majority of people are resistant to change, but these are exactly the challenges that individual leaders are best equipped to address, in my opinion.
The best thing about individual leaders is their ability to connect with small, ambitious, and ever-expanding groups of like-minded people, to make a living through creating small, passionate movements of people. Unlike Fortune 500 companies, these leaders don't need mass-market appeal to maintain their bottom lines; they're free to focus on the one or two things they believe are important, and they're not going away. That, I believe, is what makes them a real force for change.
“Perhaps when the masses are awakened, the unsung heroes will be celebrated.” Or – when heroes discover that they no longer need to be unsung, that they can almost as easily make an impact as keep to themselves, the masses will be awakened
I am so sorry that I didn't actually comment before now!! This post had a huge impact on me, so much so that my entire view of what I'm doing and how and why and where has changed literally overnight!! Thanks in great part to you. Oh, I am blessed!
I'm flattered that you found this post so valuable. I'd love to hear about the changes you're going through, they sound amazingly powerful!
I had kept trying to figure out how to make money on-line, using my blog as a base. But I couldn't firgure out a niche. I couldn't find anything I could do that wouldn't involve creating something tangible (like sewing a dress, making soap, etc.).
I wrote in my blog last night that my One Burning Question was, “Dear God, whatever am I going to do?” I was well and truly flummoxed.
All my life, people have told me that I should be some kind of “helper”, whether a therapist, coach, pastor's wife, whatever.
This morning I woke up realizing that what I am is your “mommy on the net”. Now I don't want that to sound dumb, but it is exactly what I mean.
Don't we all want a mommy who will love us onconditionally, help us to solve our problems, teach us easier ways to do things, and offer coffee and tea (hot or cold) with fresh cookies, at the kitchen table.
Now maybe a guy doesn't stand in such need, maybe women are my audience. I don't know. I kinda don't care.
All I know is that, thanks to your post, I feel like I am finding my voice at last.
The longer this discussion goes on, the more inspired I am!
I feel that your OBQ equates to: “How can I teach the unsung heroes of the world to sing their own song?”
Perhaps that is my own reception of your journey, but it hits home for me, and I find it truly beautiful.
I praise your desire to spread love into this world Trece! I do not find that you want to be people's “Mommy on the net” a dumb concept at all. I feel that people instinctively seek love and safety.
As a man, I urge you to not tune out men as a potential audience. They may not be the easily reached because we tend to think, “We've got it handled,” but men are in dire need of feminine love. It is such a challenge for many men to receive. Women may be more receptive overall, so if you need to focus, that may be more easy.
The idea of a mother just as a caretaker seems somehow limited – a mother also provides wisdom, teaching, and eventually (ideally) rears children into responsible and value contributing adults. If you transformed any of your readers through your words into a more responsible and contributing adult, your OBQ has immense intrinsic value.
So glad to help you find your voice Trece. It already sounds beautiful and inspiring!
I love this. Coming from a science background, I always want people to ask more questions. Question authority, question social norms, question life itself. You related this concept in a very personal way, which is probably compelling enough to lend burning questions to other areas of one's life and the larger community. Thanks for this post.
Thanks for your comment Lynn! I too enjoy the questioning of things beyond ourselves – just because we have rules, doesn't mean that they shouldn't be questioned. As the world changes, so do the institutions that we've come to trust.
I really appreciate your mention of burning questions in different areas of ones life, but also the larger community. I haven't given much thought to the OBQ beyond an individual context, but now my mind is racing and making connections.
I took some time to read your blog, and I love your focus on what seems to be a combination of personal responsibility for larger issues – makes me feel like the work I'm doing with self awareness can have a larger impact (and should!).
Thanks for visiting! I stumbled upon the self-awareness blogging community by way of the minimalist movement. What really speaks to me about minimalism and self-awareness is that it is a gateway to social change on a larger magnitude. Once we achieve self-awareness, we have the power to make a real difference in the world without burning ourselves out or reaching blindly in the dark (well, maybe we still will be in the dark, but having self-awareness generally means we know how to deal with uncertainty). To be frank, people are often not moved to think about larger societal or community issues because it doesn't have personal relevance. So, if people can achieve self-awareness, then they are magnitudes more likely to care about larger issues. So yes, the work you are doing is really awesome! And it definitely will have a larger impact. Creating a movement is all about influencing individuals (as many individuals as possible, of course, but individuals nonetheless). I hope my blog is of relevance to people. =]
And btw, finding my OBQ has given me a lot more direction. My OBQ: How can people lead a fulfilling eco-friendly lifestyle?
That’s an inspiring OBQ, Lynn – I think you’ll find a lot of other people out there to work with regarding your OBQ. It also has the potential to really touch a lot of lives. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
That's an inspiring OBQ, Lynn – I think you'll find a lot of other people out there to work with regarding your OBQ. It also has the potential to really touch a lot of lives. I can't wait to see what you do with it.
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