Why I love questions

Photo: The Image Takers

Sometimes I receive emails, texts or phone calls from my members with countless questions. Some are big and high level, some are very specific and detail oriented. Some are more personal and emotional.

At times it can feel like a barrage — more things for me to think about, find out, and to add to the ‘to do’ list.

But, I love it.

Questions tell me that my members are paying attention. They’re listening, they’re joining the dots on concepts, and they’re curious.

This is good.

The power of curiosity

When we’re curious, we learn more without even trying. We absorb information because we’re interested, not just because it’s something ‘we should know’. Curiosity removes the pressure to be perfect. It creates a space for us to simply ‘be’.

As a financial adviser and coach to millennials, questions allow me to understand what information is resonating with my members and what level they’re understanding it at. They allow me to shape the rest of the conversation to build layers of knowledge.

Some people can find questions confronting. And sometimes they can be! Sometimes the questions I face are hard.

They can be about technical things like the potential returns on buying a property versus rent-vesting. Or they could be to do with what goals to set for their futures, or maybe tough decisions about careers, friends or families that are impacting their lives.

No-one has all the answers

I can’t always answer every question.

At times I don’t know the answer and have to find out.

Other times, I will very deliberately not answer, as it’s either the not the best question to be asking, or maybe the wrong time to be answering it.

Or, I might encourage them to dig deep for the answer themselves, as they know it and just need some help to see it.

Right or wrong however, questions form the basis of a compelling and impactful conversation. They mean my members are engaged. And when we’re engaged, we learn and build more confidence in ourselves, our decisions and our futures.  

Keep the questions coming.