Curiosity is a way of being. It is a way of looking at the world, not from a perspective of judgement (What is wrong?) but rather from a perspective of humility (What am I not seeing? What am I assuming?).

Like pretty much every other aspect of our daily experience, a questioning mindset is a product of our daily practice. The more we question, the more questions we see. The more questions we see, the more likely we are to fall upon truly insightful and interesting questions that will shift our lives. These are the essential questions that truly cut to the chase and help us focus on the outcomes that matter to us.

The following questions are thus intended to inspire you to hone your natural questioning instinct and to be more curious both about how you show up in the world and about the world around you. These questions are not intended to be the Right questions or indeed Better questions than what you might come up with but, as I said, are merely designed to inspire you to come up with your own daily questions.

My invitation is to ask yourself these questions each morning and to gradually replace them with questions that are more meaningful to you:

– What is important for me today? What is urgent for me today?

– What might I question today that I didn’t question yesterday?

– What can I do less of today?

– What can I do better today (1%+ improvement)?

– What significant decision can I make today to shape my legacy?


Also, consider putting these questions in your back pocket and bringing them with you throughout your day:

– How did I decide to do this activity?

– How will I know when I have done enough?

– Who or what give me energy? Suck energy from me?

– What might benefit from being seen more playfully?

– How can I expect less of myself and of others?

I know from personal experience that building a practice of ongoing daily questioning pays dividends cross all aspects of life and work. Ultimately, it is about the process rather than any outcome. Indeed, when you have been doing it for a while you will see that the process is the outcome. That in itself teaches us to instinctively seek out the bigger questions and try and make our worlds that bit bigger as a result.

Feel free to email me (Tom) your answers or indeed your own questions – hello @ tomoleary.ie

Alternatively, Book a Free Call if that would be helpful!

P.S. If you work in an organisational setting, this page on Leadership and Curiosity models how to bring a questioning mindset to all aspects of the organisation’s experience. Alternatively, if coaching is part of your world, this development programme may be of interest.