Love the Questions

This post is part of Reverb11. Through January 15th 22nd, I will be sharing my responses to the remainder of the prompts. My Reverb11 responses are a bit different than usual—more vulnerable, less polished, more frequent, and probably more interesting!

29. Questions.

What questions did you ask in 2011? (Author: Kaileen Elise)

I love questions—especially new questions. New questions always make me curious! I don’t love the questions that seem to constantly arise—the questions that demand investigation, change, and typically difficult to realize answers. These are the questions we run through our minds over and over again. These are the questions that are easier for us to ignore and push deep into our subconscious. In 2011, I focused a lot of my mental energy on these questions; the answers are slow to appear so great trust and faith in the process is necessary to believe that they will become visible at the right time. Below are a few questions from 2011, copied directly from the pages of my journal (note: I refer to myself as both I and you in the questions!).

—Should I give up on *this* dream?

—What do I need in this moment?

—What can I release from my life?

—Why are you doing *this* and not *that*?

—What am I avoiding? How can I reframe what I’m avoiding into something less cringe worthy?

—Given the current circumstances (which you can’t change), how do you choose to react?

—What mini-action can I take right now to move toward my desired goal?

—What are your options? What do you *want* to do? [this question is especially helpful when you feel lazy. write down all the possible items that you *want* to do and 9/10 times you'll be bored by the items after writing them down. it helps me get my groove back!]

—How can you bring a sense of security and ease to this situation (and similar situations in the future)?

—How can you actively use this lesson moving forward?

—How can I best protect my self-worth in this situation? (hint: magic ingredient=self-compassion)

—Are you being proactive or reactive?

—What evidence do I need to provide for myself to feel fulfilled?

What questions did you ask in 2011? What questions would you like to ask more in 2012? Any questions you would like to ask someone else?

photograph: maya lee

Related "ripples" you might enjoy:

1. Less No, More Yes
2. Rebuilding Community
3. Practicing Ease
4. Love & Marriage
5. Beautiful people do not just happen.

Tags: #reverb11, intention, Journal, kaileen elise, letters to a young poet, manifest, prompts, Questions, reflect, reverb, Vulnerable

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 7:15 pm and is filed under #reverb11, Authenticity, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Love the Questions”

1. Julie Jordan Scott
   Twitter: juliejordanscot
   says:

   01.21.2012 at 11:18 am

   Probably the part of this quote from Rainer Rilke which speaks to me the most is “love the question” (and the mystery within the question) with the mini-huge action being “Live the question.”

   I look through the lens not “What question are you asking?” instead “What question are you living.”

   I will look through both of these this weekend. A great place to continue 2012.

   Reply