Be careful of what you ask for.

Not in the self determination kind of way. More in the way of how you shape your question is going to have an impact on how I read it.

I’ve asked a lot of questions. As a kid, I was full of them, and in many ways I still am. I ask questions because it’s more fun than finding answers. Because the answers to the questions quite often are somewhat interesting. Because questions are to be asked.

For some time, I used to say that I didn’t care about the answers. That was my truth, I only enjoyed the creativity of coming up with the question. The answer to some degree didn’t interest me. I think that’s because most of the people I asked the questions to were certain of their answers.

“Certainty is a closing of the mind.” As my friend Helena put it to me yesterday.

But properly asked, questions can be so much more then a journey for an answer. They can be explorations leading nowhere. Leading to more questions. Leading to friendships and bonds. Questions can be an invitation to a journey.

Therefore, the shape of the question is really important. Just as any invitation, it needs to invite to what we’re really inviting to. And it needs to be perceived that way for the receiver as well. Accomplishing that might be hard and painful. It might take time, perseverance and courage.

But in order to get what you want, you need to ask for it. And you need to ask carefully. If that’s certainty, one type of question is to prefer. The same question will not do when you’re trying to innovate.

What question would you like to ask today?