The Answers Are Already Out There -- Learn How to Find the Question Get out of your own way and start accessing.
By David Meltzer Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If you are ever in a rut and want to look at life differently, I advise taking the time to read poetry. This is one of the best ways to change the way you look at things so that things you look at change. One of my favorite poets to study is three-time Pulitzer winner Archibald MacLeish. He has brilliant thoughts about questions, as well as answers, that I believe are applicable to everyday life.
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Question everything.
MacLeish is quoted as saying, "We have learned the answers, all the answers. It is the question that we do not know." But, what does this really mean? Many people mistakenly live their lives in search of answers, failing to realize that the answers they seek already exist. Have you ever attached yourself to finding an outcome thinking it would provide a sense of accomplishment? Believing that the answer will make you happy sets you up for disappointment because then you are attributing happiness to "discovering" an answer that already exists. What I believe is that all answers that we seek are already out there. You just need to appreciate the process of learning to access those answers in order to fully enjoy the pursuit of your potential.
Focus brings confidence.
Focus is key in accessing the questions we seek because focus gives us confidence in the actions that we take. When you are confident and focused, you are able to get out of your own way and use free will to allow things to happen. Shift your perspective and learn how to access what you need to know. Use focus to put systems in place to access important information rapidly, as opposed to having to memorize it.
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The answer lies within.
When we get out of our own way, we get to experience (and enjoy) the process of looking for what MacLeish calls "the question." Oftentimes, I believe the answer can actually be found in the question itself. Be more interested than interesting and use reflection and introspection to access what you seek. Instead of going around and searching for an answer, get out of your own way in order to access the answer that lies within the question.
Be a master of access.
MacLeish's genius helped him realize just how important access is. Access allows us to effortlessly connect to the right answers and questions which help us move forward in our lives. Confidence and focus enable us to get out of our own way and allow us to reach the answers more rapidly and accurately. Like MacLeish wrote, we have learned the answers, all the answers. It is simply the question that we do not know.
