I keep six honest serving men, (They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.
Rudyard Kipling
1865 – 1936

When I was in high school, one of my teachers had the above quote on a large poster in front of the classroom. I didn’t fully grasp the importance of the quote then; I understand its significance a little more with each passing day. I believe we all would have been better equipped for life if our teacher had spent a little time teaching the wisdom in that quote instead of the chemistry lessons he was assigned to teach.

We’re going to explore the power of these words and how you can use them to get more of what you want out of life.

To start, I need to ask a totally different question. What is your normal reaction to any new idea or plan? Let’s take a few specific examples. What one place have you always dreamed of visiting? Paris, London, Australia, the Far East? When the idea of visiting that dream place comes up, what is your normal reaction?

Let’s take another example. Do you have your dream job? Do you live in the house of your dreams? Do you have the lifestyle you desire? When any of those ideas come up, what’s your normal reaction?

If you’re like most people I know, your normal reaction is to quickly come up with a reason why you can’t take your dream trip, live in your dream house or land your dream job. So your initial reaction goes something like this: “I’ve always wanted to visit Australia but I can’t because ___________.”

So what happens when you say or think such a thought? You excuse yourself from even trying. You’re cutting off the possibility of it happening. If you cut off the possibility of it happening, do you think it will ever happen? Not likely.

So here’s the first question that will change your life. Instead of coming up with countless reasons why you can’t do something, start asking this question: how can I __________? And you fill in the blank with whatever subject you were considering. For instance, you could ask the question, “How can I take an extended trip to Australia?” Or “how can I land my dream job?”

Once you ask the question, entertain all available solutions. Allow your subconscious mind to search for possibilities.

When you accept that you can’t do something, your brain doesn’t try to find ways to accomplish your goal. When you keep asking the question, “How can I _________?”, your brain will go to work and find all sorts of solutions.

When you find yourself making an excuse why something can’t be accomplished, stop and ask the question, “How can I ___________?” It will change your life.

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
Naguib Mahfouz
1911 – 2006

Copyright © 2009 John Chancellor