I attended EDGE X 2020 this year and felt like I had left with more questions than answers. I believe one reason for this is that my favorite speaker, Jo Saxton, spent most of her talk asking them.
There is power in asking questions.
They bring us to a halt. They make us pause and think. They make us slow down and wonder. And they beg for an answer. I’ve found that the characteristics of questions and the year of 2020 have a lot in common. We’ve had to abruptly come to a stop, think in new ways, change our pace of life, and there have been deal with so many unknowns.
Jo challenged the EDGE X community to think about the questions that we can ask ourselves as we navigate through this year and the unknown. It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind, let everything just happen, and then pop out on the other side. But how can we reflect while in the midst of these current events and have some control over the outcome? Because the truth is, we are already becoming who we will be on the other side of this.
Below is a list of questions that Jo asked, as well as some questions from other speakers at the conference. I challenge everyone to take the time to pause, ask yourself these questions, answer them, and use your answers to guide yourself in the midst of through the chaos to become who you want to be when this is over. The reality is we can’t go back to the way things were. We can’t work towards what no longer exists. We must build towards the future starting from where we are today.
- What’s worrying me?
- Where What am I struggling with?
- What has disappointed me?
- What have I lost?
- What have I gained?
- What expectations were not met this year and how have I reacted to them?
- What attitudes are emerging for me during this time?
- What have been the things that have knocked me down?
- What has broken my heart?
- What has surprised me?
- What has made me uncomfortable?
- Who is in the community and support system that I’ve surrounded myself with?
- How are they serving me?
- How am I serving them?
- Is my community diverse? Or does everyone look like me?
- What influence do I have and how am I taking advantage of it?
- What is right in front of me and how am I using it?
- What does “living life to the fullest” actually mean to me?
- In the current climate of the world today, where am I standing on the sidelines and where do I need to step up?
- How is are these circumstances affecting who I am becoming, and what can I do about it?
