Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been using this word myself and having some pretty incredible results. Instead of using it to understand my external world as my niece does, I’ve been using it to understand my internal world.

I’ve been using it for just about anything from why am I procrastinating to why does someone’s words upset me?

I've discovered that by asking the question, it forces you to step back and catch the thoughts and feelings that are happening at the back of your mind. Thoughts you have but haven’t really articulated yet.

One of the first places I tried using this was with a report I needed to do for my job. I’ve been procrastinating on working on it. So, I asked myself, “Why don’t I want to work on it?”

Was it:
• The fear of doing it wrong or
• Not really understanding what I need to do

I realized it's mostly because I'm afraid I'm doing it wrong. It’s not my area of expertise and I've had to teach myself everything including the software and what steps need to be taken in order to complete this report.

Knowing what the thoughts were behind the procrastination allowed me to work through them. I've made mistakes in the past and they were fixable. I learn something new each time I do this report so it actually gets easier each time I do it. I document it all too so I can go back and walk someone through the process if I ever need to (with the accountant for example). Then, I thought about how nice it would be to have it done, have it all nicely organized and not have to worry about it again for another 3 months.

Once I’d gone through this process, I was able to work on the report until it was done which was such a relief. I still had that twinge of "what if I'm doing this wrong?" but I was aware of it and I knew the reason behind it. By simply asking “why” I was able to break free from the procrastination.

I also found that by asking, "why?" you can discover beliefs and habits you may not even be aware of. I realized an important one for me just the other morning when I woke up late. My first thought was that my husband would be annoyed that I’d slept so late. I felt guilty for being so late. I decided to ask myself “why?” Why do I feel that way, why do I think he’ll be mad? The truth was he didn’t even care. When I asked myself why I thought he'd be mad, it made me remember that when I was a kid, I’d be in so much trouble if I got up late. So, because this is the only frame of reference I have about getting up late, I just naturally assumed he’d be mad too.

This one was actually a huge revelation for me as I figured out that there are a few things I worry about and it’s simply because that’s how it was when I was growing up. They’re no longer relevant to my current life and I need to update my beliefs.

The great thing about always asking “why” is that it can bring to light a lot of beliefs you may have which may not be helping you. For example:

• "He should be more understanding and supportive." The reality is that he doesn’t understand and he may need help from you in order to understand what you need and what you feel would show he's being supportive.

• "I should be a faster learner than this." The reality is that you’re learning at the perfect speed for you.

• "My co-worker should know better than to do that." The reality is he doesn’t.

The “should’s” cause such unnecessary grief. It’s so much easier to just let them go. But, you don’t always realize you’re caught up with “should’s” until you ask yourself, “why?” Why are you annoyed with someone, why are you really so frustrated, why did someone hurt your feelings?

Anyway, I thought I'd share this with you because I'm finding it so helpful to deal with procrastination and feelings like anger, frustration, sadness, or even boredom. Once you figure out what the real reason is then you can deal with it instead of it stopping you in your tracks or trying to force yourself to do something you don't want to do.

Give it a try.
• If someone cuts you off when you’re driving and it makes me mad, ask, “why does it make me mad that he cut me off?”

• If you get annoyed with the person packing your bags at the grocery store, “Why?”

• If you’re procrastinating, "Why?"

• If you don't want to do something, "Why?"

• If you're feeling jealous, "Why?" This is actually a good one because once you figure out why you're really feeling jealous, you can decide if it's something you really want. If it is, just turn it around to be, "How can I get this too?" Or, you may discover it's an area within that needs to be healed. Either way, by asking "why?", you can suddenly use it to your advantage instead of just feeling bad.

So, go ahead, just like when you were a kid, drive yourself completely crazy with asking "Why?". You’ll be amazed at what you learn about yourself.

And, here’s what’s new on the site

Confidence Video
I’ve added a new video to the Confidence Videos page. It’s from the tv show, “Britain’s Got Talent” and it’s an amazing video. It gave me goose bumps when I watched it because it’s such an inspirational moment. The contestant, Colin, is a car phone salesperson but his dream is to sing opera. He talks about confidence being an issue for him but he truly wants to follow his dream so he’s worked on his courage enough to be on this tv show. Watch how when he comes out on the stage and he says he's going to sing opera, all the judges have this look of "Oh No! This is going to be horrible". As soon as he starts to sing, he blows away the judges and the audience. It's incredible but it’s also a testament that just by being yourself and allowing your true gifts to emerge, you can truly touch people.

Inner Awareness
Do you have a sense that there should be more to life or just feel unsettled? Perhaps the answer is to develop inner awareness.

Confidence Games
If you like word games like Word Scramble, Word Searches and Crossword Puzzles, you’re going to love my new Confidence Games page. I’ve created some puzzles for you using confidence words you can find on my site. Have fun with them.

65 Positive Ways To Deal With Negative People
If you remember my article, “How To Deal With Negative People”, I decided to expand on it and I’ve now I’ve got an ebook out with "65 Positive Ways To Deal With Negative People". If you have negative people in your life, this will be a handy document for you.

Also, I’ve updated and revised my “3 Questions That Will Change Your Life” ebook to add more examples and some additional chapters. If you’ve already purchased a copy, you should be receiving the updated version within the next couple of days. Please let me know if you don’t receive it. It’s tough to get past the spam filters sometimes especially with an attachment.

That's all for this time. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reply to this email or use my Contact Form

Take Care

Catherine
www.Life-With-Confidence.com

The Legal Stuff
-------------------------------------------
You are receiving this email because you are a confirmed subscriber of the Life With Confidence announcement list. You would only receive this email if you had signed up for the newsletter and then confirmed your decision via email. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of this email.

Please be advised that the opinions expressed here are purely those of the author, Catherine Pratt. You read and act upon it at your own risk.