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To change your results, change the assumptions that guide your actions.
To change your assumptions, change the questions you’re asking.
Change your questions, and you can change everything.
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The Best Question?
What is it about “Catalytic Thinking” that makes it catalytic? We get asked that a lot. And why focus on questions? We get asked that a lot, too.
The answer to both questions has to do with the cause-and-effect that creates results in any situation you encounter.
The
actions that create your results are caused by your thoughts, beliefs,
and assumptions. At the core, those assumptions are the answers to
questions you don’t even realized are being asked.
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| | Whether
you assume the earth is flat or round, the question at the core of that
assumption is, “What will happen if I get close to the horizon?”
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| You
have the power to change your own assumptions, and the assumptions of
those around you, by the questions you ask. Whether it is at work, in
your community, or in your efforts to communicate with a loved one, the
questions you ask can create agreement or disagreement, calm or
agitation. Your questions can cause joyful inquiry or scarcity-driven
fear.
By changing the questions you ask in your day-to-day life, small actions can create big results. And that is why we call it “Catalytic” thinking.
The Best Questions: Try This
There
are 3 questions at the root of Catalytic Thinking. The chart below
shows how those questions compare to the questions you are more likely
to hear in your day-to-day.
This week’s exercise is therefore a
simple one: Notice which questions you hear most often. And notice the
result of those questions.
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| Instead of asking… - What is the problem and how will we solve it?
- Can we trust them? What if they steal my idea / our stuff?
- How will we pay for that? Where will the money come from?
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| Catalytic Thinking asks… - What is the future we want to create, and what will it take to create that reality?
- Who else cares about this? What can we accomplish together that none of us can accomplish on our own?
- What resources do we have together that none of us has all of on our own?
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| If
you notice people asking about problems, are they happy, calm, and
inspired? Or are they feeling despair and agitation?
If you notice people asking about how to protect their stuff, are they joyful? Or are they acting fearful?
There is great power in simply noticing how those simple, day-to-day questions are creating those emotional results.
If you are feeling inspired
to insert a more catalytic question into the conversation, notice what
happens when you do. And please share those observations with all of
us. Because sharing together and practicing together is how we will all
learn together. |
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Want to learn alongside other people who are also trying out Catalytic Thinking practices? Join our Catalytic Thinking in Action community on Facebook -
a welcoming place where you can ask questions and learn from people
like you who are experimenting with these practices. We look forward to
seeing you there!
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eJournal Archives:
If you’re new to our eJournal, or just want to remind yourself of past practice exercises we’ve shared, check out our eJournal archives here.
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Keeping Our Programs Freely Available Most of the programs at Creating the Future are free or low cost, with liberal tuition assistance when they aren’t.
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| If you find our programs of benefit, we hope you will consider contributing, to help keep these programs available to as many |
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Creating
the
Future
is a
collection of
people around
the world,
supporting
each other in
a grand
experiment.
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The
experiment:
To
determine how
much better
the world
could be if
the questions
we ask in our
day to day
lives are
bringing out
the best in
each other.
If
everyone,
everywhere, is
bringing out
the best in
every person
they encounter
– and if the
systems that
guide our
behaviors are
built to bring
out the best
in all of us -
how much
closer will we
all be to a
healthy,
humane world
that works for
all of us?
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