That depends on the situation and the questions asked.
Storytelling has been my passion pretty much all my life.
Informally, I started telling stories when I was very, very small. I still remember – when I was probably 4 years old – sitting at the windowsill in our living room. But in my imagination – it was the pilot’s seat for my starship. The window was the viewport to the wonders of the galaxy I flew through.
With my collection of Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and such, I told new stories beyond the original trilogy. The familiar characters went through new adventures in previously unseen places across the galaxy far, far away.
At age 9, I wrote my first 50-page, illustrated sci-fi story.
When I joined the medieval reenactment society 31 years ago, I created a persona whose story would change and evolve as how I participated changed and evolved.
Since 2014, I have self-published 12 sci-fi and fantasy novels.
I’ve had the privilege to tell stories that were mine, as well as belonging to others. I’ve recorded some audiobooks to that end, spoken the words for awards in the medieval reenactment society before large and small crowds, recorded podcasts, and created works in various mediums for employers over the years.
Telling the story – any story – brings me joy and makes me feel empowered.
When it comes to my stories – like my podcast, my novels, and my blog – why is earning my living via storytelling so difficult? Why do I have so much difficulty selling a reasonable number of books? When it comes to my mental state over this – why do I get so flustered? Why do I feel like I can’t focus enough to manifest?
Am I asking the right questions?
This is a good question. Maybe why is the wrong question. And maybe why is far less important than other factors to take into account.
I’ve spent a lot of time over the years exploring how to do a thing. How to write full-time, how to self-publish books, how to podcast, how to market my work, and on and on.
When I don’t see the results that I desire to see – then the question becomes why. Why are my books sales not earning me more money? Why is my blog not earning as much as I would think it should be? And these all lead to the granddaddy of them all – why am I struggling financially?
Seeking why is often as infuriating – and inconclusive – as seeking how. I’m sure there are answers to all my questions. But am I asking the right questions?
How do I know if I’m asking the right questions? I’ve never asked that before – but I think the answer is pretty obvious: Mindfulness.
To find answers to any and all questions – conscious awareness is necessary. If I’m not consciously aware of myself – how can I be aware of anything else? Like really, truly, genuinely aware? Hence, mindfulness is necessary for understanding, recognizing, and thus asking the right questions.
The right questions come from within
To know the world without – and understand what we gather from it – we need to know ourselves first.
No, this is not a deep, hooky-spooky self-awareness I’m writing about here. This is a general, at the moment, in the now knowledge of our individual mindset/headspace/psyche selves.
That’s achieved via practical mindfulness.
Practical mindfulness is a product of conscious awareness in the here-and-now. It’s being able to ask and answer simple questions like,
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I feeling?
- What am I doing?
- What are my intentions?
Each of these puts us in touch with our conscious selves.
Our conscious selves exist wholly in the now.
Frequently, asking why and how becomes a circular question. And that happens why? Because we often look without before even considering turning inwards.
What does that mean? It means we don’t clearly recognize our full intent, here and now, and allow outside factors to impact the questions. Then, we inadvertently seek answers not from the now – but from the past or the future.
There is no clarity in the past or the future
I used to believe in the adage that “hindsight is 20/20.”
Now I recognize that this is utter bullshit.
Often, hindsight is colored by nostalgia, wishful thinking, and rose-colored glasses. The truth is that when we look back, we see only our very narrow perspective. It’s wholly colored by our unique, singular perception of reality.
When we look to the past to see where we’ve been, rather than take lessons from it, we let it dictate where we should be going. Former perceived “greatness” and the like create a false reality that we think we can build from for the future.
Trust me – that never ever works. The past can teach us lessons about ourselves – but only when we are open to that and willing to accept that many of those lessons might be painful.
It’s a choice.
On the other side of the same notion, you can’t look to the future to answer questions of the now. That’s because the future is unwritten. Or, in the words of Yoda, “always in motion is the future.”
Despite everything pointing to one outcome or another, the future can and will be impacted by the unexpected. This is because we have zero control over anyone or anything outside of ourselves.
This is why the only way to know if we are asking the right questions is to be present and in the now.
Ask in the now
When we ask questions in the present, we can use lessons of the past and hopes for the future as part of the process.
But we can’t live in the past or the future. We can only exist, really, truly, in the here and now.
So – am I asking the right questions? To know this, I need to first be mindful of my conscious awareness. I need to be present, and in tune with my mindset/headspace/psyche self. Then, and only then, can I know if the questions I ask are benefiting me. Or if they are the wrong questions.
If you’ve had similar experiences to mine – and though they’ll be different, they might share sufficient similar traits – hopefully, my insight can help us both. Via mindfulness, we can ask the right questions to find the answers we need.
Thanks for reading.
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