I was in a recent integration session with a client following her plant medicine journey. We were focusing on her desire to enjoy life more fully and to experience less anxiety. A very fast thinker, she tended to heavily process and analyze everything in the hopes of achieving what she wanted. My sense was that this was preventing the very thing she wanted.

You see, alone, we will often replay things over and over, digging and working to find a logical explanation for why we are unhappy, why we can't achieve success, etc. We are limited by the echo chamber of our own belief systems and mindsets on what "should be."

Additionally, logic alone rarely holds the solution - otherwise, smart folks would have already achieved what they wanted.

Here's the practice I gave her:

“I want you to hold onto this question: What is this moment asking of me? You are not to answer it. Ask this at least once a day and no more than 3 times a day for the next two weeks. Hold the question alive, as this is the power of the question. Let it be. It is important not to search or create an answer. Trust the process. It is perfectly OK if information streams in at that moment or later. Welcome that. What is important is not to try to answer.”

Then I told her: “Keep track of what happens and what feelings and physical sensations you experience. Review and capture themes. Capture what you are learning.”

A while later, she reported back, having had many powerful experiences. Times when tidbits of information appeared suddenly out of the blue. Other times, there was a steady creative flow. 

She also felt the urge to move into dance or yoga. Or to be outside, breathing the air. This was the question working her. She wrote back about how grounded she felt. And with a greater openness to what shows up in life. 

She is still letting the question work her.

Live with a Question. Don’t rush to answer it.

A Powerful Tool for Working Life's Challenges

I know. This is an unusual way.

Back in the days of my intelligence work, when my team and I were stuck on something, one of us would shout, "Work the problem!"—That got us focused, into action, reverse-engineering, breaking down the steps, and “going agile.” That was—and is — good. It often works. 

Some issues don’t respond well to “working the problem,” especially when it’s not clear what the problem is. This is the case with many common coaching topics. If “working the problem” isn’t getting traction, try switching. Letting the question work for you is a great complement to "working the problem." With this simple switch, we let the problem work for us. Let it work you.

The question I gave my client: “What is this moment asking of me?” was to help her shift out of her overthinking mode and to expand her awareness.  The question was informed by her journey and supporting her integration.  

The actual question will depend on the context, the person and the purpose of the exploration.

Let it sneak into your mundane everyday activities.

Let it drift like smoke into your dreams.

Let it land with a jolt while you are on a morning run.

Make this a life practice.

 In the Pivot, we explore navigating and thriving in uncertain times. This is a solid life skill to have in your repertoire. You can think of it as a way of bringing the best of a contemplative life into our busier, action-filled days.

[For coaches or anyone a bit skeptical of this intuitive approach, there is ample supporting research. See below**] 

Try it yourself.

You can use the question I used: “What is this moment asking of me?”

Or others like:

"What is life calling from me?"

"What whispers from the future do I hear?"

"What is next?"

"Why am I here?"

This is also great for highly complex issues. Work issues. Team issues. Relationship issues.

Any question that has you flummoxed or you long to answer but haven't gotten traction on.

Try it. Follow the same instructions as I gave my client above.

Welcome what happens. If nothing happens for a while, that’s OK. Be patient. Let it work you. The move is to relax; don’t force it.

When something comes, capture it!  Record, draw, journal, sing, or dance, whatever you want.

Let me know what comes!

** Studies show that when we step away from actively trying to solve problems, our subconscious continues processing and often arrives at insights or solutions— - what's called the "Aha!" or "Eureka" moment. This, the psychological concept of "incubation,” is documented in the creativity research of Graham Wallas and, more recently, neuroscience.

**The practice also aligns with mindfulness psychology. By holding a question without immediately answering it, you're essentially practicing a form of open monitoring meditation, which has been shown to enhance cognitive flexibility and reduce anxiety (The work of mindfulness researchers Davidson and Kabat-Zinn supports this).

**Cognitive science research on "default mode network" activity shows that when we stop focused analytical thinking, different brain regions activate that are associated with self-reflection and broader perspective-taking - exactly what is encouraged in this practice.

**Work on "embodied cognition" suggests that wisdom and understanding don't happen only in the brain, but involve the whole body.

I'm excited to share that I will be starting a podcast. Stay tuned. In each episode, I sit down with visionaries—thinkers, practitioners, and pioneers who are both imagining the future and living it. They’re not only sensing what’s next, but mapping the way forward.

Do you want to take this further and explore working together?

If you want to schedule a 30-minute, cost-free call, click here.