Written by: Bronwen Sciortino, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We live in a world where we’re constantly told what to do. And most of us subconsciously fall into line and comply without thinking about it.
Whether it’s the ‘experts’ in social media telling us what’s wrong with our health – and how to fix it – or our family and friends telling us what we ‘need’ to do, have, see and produce, or the world in general telling us how to feel about situations, places and people; the fact is, we’re under constant instruction.
Most of us have been so efficiently programmed through social conditioning when we’re young that we don’t have any idea that we’re just plodding along, singing to the tune of someone else’s song.
For some of us, living like this causes no great problems. But for most of us, it creates significant issues that wreak havoc in our lives until we do something about it.
You can only do what you’re told for so long until you start questioning what’s going on … and that’s when the ‘fun’ begins.
Generally, you will stay where you are until the pain of living the way you do becomes greater than the perceived pain of doing something about it.
How much have you wasted doing all the things that others have told you are ‘right’ for you? You know, the things that were supposed to solve all your problems.
Chances are you’ve got the ‘right’ education. You buy the ‘right’ clothes. You live in the ‘right’ place, have the ‘right’ friends, and network in the ‘right’ groups. In short, you’re on the ‘right’ path. But, if you’re unhappy, unwell or generally uncomfortable with your life, then it’s time to start asking questions about who’s solving the problems in your life – especially if you’ve been ignoring these things and putting them on the back burner to deal with later.
Questions are your most powerful ally in getting your life on track.
One of the greatest legacies that we’re left with from the social conditioning we receive as children is that we’re lacking a sense of self.
When everyone around you tells you what’s right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable and not about yourself when you’re a child, you learn to acquiesce to their demands for your survival.
You start to ‘hive off’ the bits of yourself you think won’t be accepted, and you hide them away so they won’t impact your journey forwards.
What that teaches you is that it’s safer to look to someone else to tell you what your problems are – and what the solution is – rather than to rest in your innate knowing of yourself to find your own answers.
Learning to ask yourself simple questions will help you to reconnect with your sense of self, and give you the confidence to start finding the answers for yourself.
Questions like ‘what if they’re wrong?’ or ‘what if that’s not right for me?’ are powerful allies that help you to consciously make decisions about the next step that’s right for you.
It’s not until you give yourself what you need that your life truly feels like it’s on the right track.
Stories and anecdotes have taught us that we have to wait for a ‘lightning bolt’ or a traumatic event to hit for us to be able to break free from the shackles of our life. But the reality is that we can set ourselves free whenever we want.
Most of us have decades of programming from others, where we’ve been told who we are and what we need. And we don’t undo that programming in five minutes. But asking questions regularly will help us to disconnect from that programming and create conscious direction in our lives.
Like everything, it might not happen overnight, but here are a few steps that can help you make it happen:
Consciously decide to give your problems your conscious attention.
Practice asking questions that help you to consciously make decisions.
Create simple steps that help you reduce the impact of the problem you’re dealing with.
Actively take the steps to help move your life in a different direction.
The first step in all of this is to consciously make the decision that you’re going to solve your own problems from now on.
If you want some help with ways to start thinking about solving your own problems, then dive into my free email series which you can get by clicking here. It’s full of seven of my favourite steps to overcome overwhelm, reduce stress, take back control and keep things super simple.
Bronwen Sciortino is a Simplicity Expert, an internationally renowned author and professional speaker and you can follow her on her website, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Read more from Bronwen!
Bronwen Sciortino, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Bronwen Sciortino is an International Author and Simplicity Expert who spent almost two decades as an award-winning executive before experiencing a life changing event that forced her to stop and ask the question ‘What if there’s a better way to live?’
Embarking on a journey to answer this question, Bronwen developed a whole new way of living – one that teaches you to challenge the status quo and include the power of questions in everyday life.
Gaining international critical acclaim and 5-star awards for her books and online programs, Bronwen spends every day teaching people that there is an easy, practical and simple pathway to creating a healthy, happy AND highly successful life.
Sourced globally for media comment as an expert and working with corporate programs, conference platforms, retreats, professional mentoring and in the online environment, Bronwen teaches people how easy it is to live life very differently.
