3 Wrapping Up

By now, we hope you understand that asking questions is valuable. Ingenuity happens when we ask the right questions. In A More Beautiful Question, author and speaker Warren Berger demystifies why asking pointed questions and engaging in the process of critical thinking that often follows questioning can be both mentally draining as well as immensely rewarding. Asking questions is an innate ability, but one few of us pay attention to or try to enhance.

Much like a dance routine or a meditation practice, the more we practice asking questions, the easier that practice becomes. Developing a personal practice of asking questions is particularly poignant in challenging times for our society. Or, as Berger states,

With the constant change we face today, we may be forced to spend less time on autopilot, more time in questioning mode–attempting to adapt, looking to recreate careers, redefining old ideas about living, working, and retiring, reexamining priorities, seeking new ways to be creative, or to solve various problems in our own lives or the lives of others… In such times, the ability to ask big, meaningful questions–and just as important, to know what to do  with those questions once they’ve been raised–can be the first steps in moving beyond old habits and behaviors as we embrace the new.

Likewise, in this TED Talk by Karen Maeyens, the importance of asking questions is expanded.

To that end, each chapter in this book begins with a question, and enough content is provided so that by the end of the chapter you can confidently answer that question. You can read the chapters in a linear order, but we recommend reading recursively, meaning that you can circle back at any point to a chapter you already read or skip around. The chapters in this book are designed to stand separate from the other chapters, so you can move around freely in your reading.