Success = Asking a Great Question and Coming Up with a Great Answer

In Gary Keller's book, The One Thing, he talks about the importance of asking great questions in order to achieve our goals. When we ask questions of a higher caliber we're forced to face the challenge of finding an equally impactful answer.

Keller says there are 3 categories of answers: doable, stretch, and possibility. 

Doable answers are the ones we know we can do and are often already within reach.

Stretch answers are still within reach but ones that may require research, study, and extending ourselves beyond our current abilities.

And possibility answers are the type that require us to dream big and live on the outer limits of what we believe we can do.

The latter are the types of answers high achiever pursue because they understand extending one's self is the first step to enriching our lives for the better.

Leave Your Book Out

I could go on and on about the benefits of diving into a great book but one of the most overlooked reasons is the ease in which it allows for interesting conversations to happen.

Years ago, as I was taking the train home I noticed a woman reading a book I'd just finished. I asked her if she was enjoying it. She seemed a bit taken back at first, almost startled that someone would pull her from the world she'd been inhabiting. "Yes," she finally said. "It's really interesting." 

I asked her if she'd reached a certain part in the book that I'd especially enjoyed and saw her slowly light up. "I just read that part!" she said. "Pretty crazy." 

We spoke for another stop or two before I got off and made my way home. I remember marveling and how I'd had a moment of authentic communication, even connection with a complete stranger in a city often noted for isolation and feigned interest. The power of books, I thought to myself. Of ideas, of possibility. 


Next time you're in line at the check-out counter or sitting on a plane, leave your book out and see what unfolds.  

Listen As If Your Life Depends On It

I continue to be amazed at how the many lessons learned on a cold hardwood floor on the 16th floor of Riverside Church overlooking the Hudson River have lent themselves beautifully to my dad-to-day interactions in the world.

This afternoon, I interviewed for a part-time position as a public speaking and creative writing instructor to school children. Asked what the first lesson I'd teach about becoming a more engaging and compelling leader would be. "I'd teach them the importance of listening," I said without hesitation.

Listening, I've learned, is more than processing the words coming out of another's mouth. It means not thinking of what you'll say next. It is about trying to genuinely connect, to understand another's point of view, however contrasting. It means noticing more, talking less, and striving for a more nuanced and flexible way of thinking.

In short, listening is the Appian Way to riches, possibility, and discovery.