Ask and you shall receive

Anouchka Blessed advocates asking the right questions as they can empower you to emerge a victor rather than a victim

- Anouchka Blessed

Tony Robbins said that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask. I couldn’t agree more. This may sound obvious, but I believe that the only way to solve a problem is by asking the right questions. I recently came across a maths test I had taken when I was in high school and on which I had gotten a bad grade. In a fit of desperation, I had written across the top of the page, “Why am I so hopeless in maths?” When the teacher came around to collect our papers, he noticed my question, stopped abruptly, and read it aloud for all the class to hear. “All those concerned should ask themselves the same question,” he added. My classmates looked at me and broke into fits of laughter. I was mortified.

The first step

In one way, however, the math teacher was right. When we ask ourselves questions, we effectively recognise that a problem needs to be solved. Asking questions is the first step to regaining control of the situation. That’s what happened to me. I asked the question, and the following year, my grades went up. I even started to enjoy maths. (Being less maths anxious would be more honest.)