The 1:1:1 March, 2021
On being bold, owning your genius, breathing for better sleep, and asking insight questions.
1: Idea
A few weeks ago I wrote an article called “Bold Moves for Brands,” which cited a quote from the movie Almost Famous. Unfortunately, I didn’t attribute the quote to it’s original source…or sources, which there seems to be some debate about. Regardless the quote is still potent and instructive.
“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”
This was attributed to Goethe. However, Basil King has a thought that sings as similar and equally beautiful:
“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.“
1: Inspiration
“Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emperors crown themselves.”
— Robert Greene, from The 48 Laws to Power
1: Tool
Breathing Tool for Better Sleep One of the most valuable books I’ve read over the last year is Breath, by James Nestor. Well researched, the book is a game-changer for the importance of breath (beyond the obvious) and for breathing practices.
One tool in particular is a practice to bring on sleep—something that doesn’t always come easy for me.
In this video demo of the “4-7-8 breathing technique” by Dr. Andrew Weill is described as a ‘natural tranquilizer for the nervous system’ helping to quickly reduce tension and allowing the body to relax into sleep.
Bonus: QUESTIONS FOR YOU / Action Questions and Insight Questions
Stanford professor and long-time influence of mine, Michael Ray is perhaps best known for his highly-popular class “Personal Creativity in Business.” In this class he helped students—including author Jim Collins of Good to Great and Built to Last fame—navigate the complexities of living as applied to their work and business.
One question he posed in class was, “What is a problem or obstacle that, if solved, would cause an immeasurable change in your life for the better?”
One way to get to the root of such integral stumbling blocks is to use one of the course’s tools: Ask penetrating questions.
Here Ray is talking about the value of insight questions versus action questions. Ray says. “What I mean by ‘action questions’ are questions like ‘What should I do?’ or, even worse, ‘What do you think I should do?’
Mr. Ray continues, “When someone asks those kinds of questions, the person’s not yet clear about the situation. There is, however, a series of questions that you can ask to get clear — and once you’re clear about the situation, you don’t have to ask what to do.”
Insight questions include:
- What is it that I don’t yet understand?
- What is it that I’m really feeling?
- What is it that I’m not seeing about the situation?
More from Mr. Ray, “Sometimes, when people think about these questions, they see that they are stuck in a situation because it gives them certain advantages.” Ray continues, “They may be miserable in a particular situation, but as long as they stay in it, they don’t have to face certain issues. Once they realize that, they begin to see what’s really going on.”
If you have insights on this, feel free to share them with me here.
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