The Power of Asking One Simple Question
The thing about life is that every day it brings you new knowledge whether you want it or not. What’s new in sports or politics, what’s trending on social media, what’s happening in the world according to the news, what are the most popular holiday destinations this year, what are your neighbours or colleagues up to, and so on, and so on…
There’s so much (new) information around us all the time that we often fail to recognise the moment when we’ve consumed enough, which is also the moment when we need to take a break from the flow of updates in order to restore our mental balance.
That’s precisely the breaking point in humans that marketing experts are patiently awaiting!
“Tired from living the same old way? Buy a new home with our premium rates.”
“Fed up with your morning commute? Fly to one of our destinations for a well-deserved holiday.”
“Exhausted from searching for the love of your life? Treat yourself with a 15% discount on us.”
Sound familiar?
When your brain is tired, it shuts down its intelligent reactive capabilities. That’s when you start making mistakes in your performance, or you start questioning basic concepts, or worse — you fall for shortcuts and temptations & make some really impulsive decisions!
And you know what comes after the impulsive decisions, right? It’s regret.
Well, there’s a way to boost your self-confidence and return to your authentic power with a single question.
Next time you find yourself before making a purchasing decision, or you know, any decision that could impact your lifestyle, career or relationships, ask yourself this one simple question:
WHY?
When you begin to question the validity of actions before committing to them, you get a unique opportunity to look back to the bigger picture of your life and see how this next decision either connects to your timeline or it adds no value whatsoever.
Sure, asking a single ‘Why’ might not solve everything, but it’s a powerful starting point.
Imagine you want to buy a new jacket.
Why? Because winter is coming.
Why? Because I don’t have a jacket in this colour.
Why? Because I see a lot of people I follow on social media wear similar clothes.
Why? Because I want to be cool too.
Why? Because I want to be liked.
Why? Because I want to feel worthy of love.
Now replace ‘jacket’ with the item or experience of your own choosing.
Oh, yes, this ‘Why’ exploration is bound to help you not only make more sensible choices, but also to get to know yourself better on a deeper level — the level of personal authenticity that you can only discover through continuous curiosity.
This is the kind of personal exploration that the marketing people don’t want you to go into because you will stop spending your money so carelessly. You might even suddenly start to love yourself and your life just as it is! No, no, they can’t have that.
But keep the ‘Why’ question in your pocket anyway, right next to your wallet. So when life presents you with a spending choice in the future, you can raise the question before you bring out your shiny plastic credit card.
Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Marketing messages might make us feel like there’s so much more we can do, see and experience in the world, and that is true. But what they fail to portray in their storytelling is that you are hero or heroine of your story, and not that of their imagination.
What’s the life that you imagine? Can the next purchasing decision help you get there? Then go for it!
If not, simply accept the fact that some impulses are created by temptations wrapped into clever marketing, and that you now know better, and keep on living more meaningfully with the knowledge of today.
