Powerful questions

Questions are powerful, ask the right questions and you get the right answers.

The right questions challenge our thinking and empower us to become better.

One question I ask myself regularly is, “Will it make the boat go faster?”

Do I have a boat?

No. And yes.

More on that later.

A couple of years ago, I read a book by Ben Hunt-Davis. Ben is an Olympic rower who was part of the eight-man crew that won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

His book tells the story of how he and his teammates built a world-beating crew based around focusing on the simple question, “Will it make the boat go faster?”

By asking this question about everything from what they ate and how they trained to how they communicated and got on as a team, they were able to become Olympic champions. If what they were about to do did not make the boat go faster, they didn’t do it.

So, back to me and my boat.

I have no boat, and you probably don’t have one either.

But you probably have a goal you want to achieve.

Metaphorically speaking, our goal is our boat.

If you deploy the question Ben and his team did to your goal, it is a powerful way to stay focused.

It will also highlight some stuff you need to let go or give up. I guarantee that right now, there is a load of stuff that is not serving you or making your boat go faster. Get rid of that stuff, and you will instantly be a better version of yourself, get a lot more done, and, from my experience, be much happier.

You can apply a “will it make the boat go faster” style of question to any goals you have.

It has helped me a lot in the years since I discovered it; give it a try; It might help you too.

Take Care

GB