10 Words My Father Told Me That Helped Me Overcome My Fear Of Asking

Ending every note with a question mark can unlock endless possibilities.

During my younger years, expressing myself through spoken words was not my thing. I rather stay in one corner staring every soul around me. Letting my eyes roam around felt better and safer than allowing my lips to speak my mind.

Not until my father sat with me and started a conversation under the bright moonlight. At that very moment, with the hanging orchids and blooming daisies, our backyard seemed a perfect avenue to let my question-mark ending thoughts be heard.

“A person who knows how to ask questions is smart” my father stressed that out to me in the middle of our random talk.

Those ten words that came out from my father’s lips captured me like a firework show. Its power created a spark in my head and ignited with my heart. Right then and there, I lived for the art of question-marked statements.

Asking became a natural thing for me. Every question serves as a block that piles my confidence up day by day. And every answer I get sharpens my mind.

Is there any point in your life that you have bravely asked a simple question that created a significant change in the trajectory of your life or career? If you have, then you know how the power of asking can lead to thousands of wonders.

Ending every note with a question mark can unlock endless possibilities.

Any Kind of Relationship Can Blossom at Any Season

A simple question that you asked under the mad sun of summer can last until a lifetime of fall, winter, and spring. It could be a genuine friendship with someone you met along the white sand beach and thick green forest in El Nido, Palawan. Or the guy you bumped and asked how’s the seawater along the shore of Boracay Island and became the man you’ll marry next month.

Yes, one question can go a long way. It can be a powerful string that holds a genuine connection of friendship or intimate heart affair.

So if you’re eyeing for that pretty girl in the cafe, ask her something now. And from there, see where it will lead you. Keep asking interesting questions to keep the conversation going. “What kind of music you love listening to?” can kickstart a great chat.

It Can Seal a Great Business Deal

I’ve been working in real estate for two years now and the power of asking has kept me in the game. Yes, I know being in the sales industry is challenging because it’s a number game. It demands a lot of pressure because there is a monthly quota to hit. But through asking and probing, the picture of my sales metrics has improved.

It has helped me uncover the needs of my client. I have laid down the best possible options that perfectly fits their budget. And the best part, I have built a good relationship with them.

For example, my latest client is just 22 years old and interested in investing in a condo unit. The first thing I did after reading her inquiry was asked myself this “can she afford it?” I kind of doubted her but I didn’t let my first impression get into my head. I should ask, not judge.

I did ask questions like, how many people are going to stay in the unit? how much is your budget for the monthly amortization? do you have any preferred location?

“We’re all hungry for the right answers. But first, we have to ask the right questions.” — Warren Berger

By asking the right questions, I got the right answers and came up with the best available offer — an executive studio for $180 a month. I let the art of asking outline our conversation and it led to a $60,000 total contract price condo deal.

What I’m trying to say here is, be brave in letting those question-marked statements out of your head. You will never know where it will lead you if you will not open your lips. Someone inside a coffee shop might be waiting for you to be asked for a business startup. Your single-life years might end tomorrow if you will bravely ask your long time crush to be her boyfriend.

Possibilities are endless and most of the time all it takes is just one question to unlock it.