In all affairs, it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. Bertrand Russell
I made the decision today that I would think a new thought. Why? Because staying in the energy field of the same thoughts means stagnation.
A new thought doesn’t have to be what we would normally consider ‘brilliant’ or ‘revolutionary’ or ‘inspiring’, at least not in our approach to it.
What do I mean?
I mean, there is no need, and indeed it is counterproductive, to insist that our new thought be brilliant or revolutionary or inspiring. That kind of thinking puts pressure and resistance in the way of the natural flow of Love, the energy of the Universe, which is inherently replete with novelty.
Rather, the idea is to approach those things that we routinely do with a fresh, open and curious mind. That approach reveals to us things that we have missed in the everyday, in the routine, in the repetitive. It brings us to the doorstep of Truth in a new way, offering a new insight. And it allows that joy, that natural ebullience within us to arise and be felt in a new and nurturing way.
That keyboard, that cup of coffee, that mobile phone, that tree, that piece of toast, that word, that person in the mirror, that person who shares your bed – how do they appear to you, how do they feel to you when you approach them with fresh eyes, a fresh mind, a childlike curiosity?
Now you have a new thought and it can be brilliant in the way it feels, it can be revolutionary in the way it changes our energy field, our approach to life, even if only for a few minutes.
But keep doing it and the change, the expansion of our awareness, of our consciousness continues.
Think a new thought by taking a new approach!
So, here’s that cup of coffee you had earlier today. How many different questions can you ask about it?
Thinking a new thought is really that simple! The easiest way is by asking questions.
Have you noticed how children seem to ask questions endlessly, to the point that it exhausts you but never them? What do you suppose that kind of questioning does to the child’s mind?
We know what it does to its brain – neurons fire, emotions are aroused and depending on past and present associations, there is excitement, an enthusiastic or gloomy sense of anticipation, frustration or disappointment.
Richard Saul Wurman, the original creator of TED talks, makes the very pertinent point:
In schools, we’re rewarded for having the answer, not for asking good questions
Imagine if we did reward (or as I prefer, recognize) good questions? What a different system of education we’d have! What a different kind of society we’d have? What a different kind of collective consciousness we’d have!
Asking questions is the natural way of allowing creative flow. Of course it’s true that our conditioning can impact the way we ask questions and indeed the motivation behind it.
What is a natural movement of creative energy can become a device for procrastinating, for annoying, for defeating/winning and even for distracting, belittling and demonizing.
But assuming that we ask questions in a naturally curious, open and thus, loving way, the benefits to us and others is enormous. Curiosity is an emotionally good state. Openness is a non-restrictive and good-feeling state. Both of these are qualities of the natural energy of love and its flow.
Curiosity provides a certain momentum and the space of openness allows for more possibilities to show up and be acted upon. Needless to say, when we feel good, we are more likely to feel motivated and are more open to inspiration.
So, how about that cup of coffee? What new questions can we ask? Before we begin, let’s remind ourselves that the exercise is meant to be fun. It calls on our natural good-feeling states of curiosity and openness. It’s not a competition. It’s not an examination of your cognitive abilities. If anything, it works best if you can put your intellect aside and allow intuition instead.
So, let’s try this. Let’s ask 10 questions about that cup of coffee (or tea or piece of cake or toast) that you had earlier today or yesterday. Don’t read on until you’ve given it a go yourself!
Here are some questions that I had:
- Why did I make it?
- Did I consider another drink instead of coffee and why or why didn’t I choose it?
- How did I decide how much coffee to use?
- When did I first learn to make a cup of coffee?
- Who were/are the great coffee drinkers in my family?
- Why do so many people drink coffee everyday?
- How much coffee is drunk everyday in the world?
- Where did I get that cup from?
- What is my relationship with the person or place from which I got that cup?
- At what time will I have another cup of coffee tomorrow and with whom?
As you can see, something as mundane as a cup of coffee can generate a whole batch of rather interesting questions, questions which
- Stir and improve memory (Questions 4, 5, 8)
- Enable us to review past events and routine decisions (Questions 1, 2, 3, 10)
- Enable us to look into the future, organize and plan (Question 10)
- Pique our interest in social behaviors and global statistics (Questions 6, 7)
Now, that is creative flow. It takes you out of your stagnant pool of repetitive thoughts. It gives you the freedom to stand in the field of “I don’t know”. It is non-threatening.
It is effortless and enlightening. And if you did find it a bit of an effort, it’s only because you’ve got some resistance to the exercise or to being in a position of ‘not knowing’, which as you know, is an obstacle of the ego’s. With practice, but most of all, with willingness, you’ll be hard put to keep up with the rampage of novel questions that rush through your mind!
Do the exercise and see how it affects you emotionally, mentally, physically and physiologically!
Did you smile, for instance? Did you forget that gnawing ache in your back? Did it make you want to search the internet for some answers? Did it give you an insight into a situation you’ve been mulling over? Did it give you an insight about yourself or about someone else? Did you feel refreshed? Have you found fresh momentum?
These are all benefits!
Now, see if you can do the same with something else that is routine and mundane.
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