Unfortunately doom and gloom tends to proliferate daily, and we find ourselves defaulting to the ruts of broken money systems, without many answers. Meanwhile we are working against the human brain’s amazing ability to draw from brilliant new approaches. It doesn’t need to be that way. Two-footed questions move people to see problems with renewed curiosity for vibrant answers.
There are other benefits too. Along with the bad-to-worse stories, have you noticed increasing neuro research that inspires daily mental workouts? Rejuvenating brain studies show surefire ways to grow and retain brainpower through regular workouts. I’m especially glad to see those mental fitness suggestions that engage multiple intelligences.
I’d like to add curiosity building to the brain workout list, a skill that Einsteinian thinkers enlist as a guide to mind-bending performances. Like a good engine in winter, curiosity needs to be revved a bit by an action from the driver, though.
Here at the MITA International Brain Based Center, we pose 2-footed questions to rev up curiosity and create life-changing solutions. Simply put, 2-footed questions lead into solid facts with one foot, and step into interest and experiences of people questioned, with the other foot. The questions spark learning as they create curiosity for new facts that relate to a problem people care about. 
Take the economic crisis we currently face. From a brain based perspective, we might ask the two-footed question:
How can we bailout our community’s intellectual loss from daily overdoses of economic woes?
This 2-footed question raises new curiosity to fuse financially sound facts together with brain based responses — into the solutions that could turn financial disasters around. While woeful messages of mistrust and cynicism, that jump out of my computer screen and newspapers daily, rob both our coffers and our brainpower, two footed questions offer a road back to prosperity.
How so? Let’s consider the problem identified by a two question and answers sparked.
1. Problem identified: Intrapersonal intelligence is weakened. Curiosity sparked: It takes confidence to recharge the money machinery, and that confidence diminishes with each negative news cast coming at us. Practically speaking, the news erodes our intrapersonal intelligence, where we handle finances with integrity, motivation, well-being, and where we take mind-bending risks for mutual dividends in every circle.
2. Problem identified: Decision making is marred. Curiosity sparked: The brain’s chemical fuels are hampered by the incessent doom that fills discussions about our losses. For example mental chemicals that guide good decisions include serotonin, which is reduced by this emphasis on negative financial newscasts. In contrast the stress and anxiety caused by failing finances creates more cortisol chemicals, which reduces our ability to move forward successfully.
3. Problem identified: Stress is increased at harmful levels. Curiosity sparked: Long term stress will literally shrink the human brain, shorten life spans, slow down thinking, and lower the immune system.
The list of mental losses goes on, as each negative emerges from our interactions, and creates an equally or more potent negative in the human brain’s machinery. How could we expect to improve the fiasco financial landscape in such a weakened intellectual state?
Perhaps this is a smaller start than most make, but I plan to begin a renewed conversation today that will trigger brainpower to improve my own and others’ financial well being for the day. How so?
Relying on the brain’s natural supply of plasticity:
- I’ll strengthen my intrapersonal intelligence by ensuring integrity in my accounts.
- I’ll raise and maintain my serotonin levels for good decisions, by looking more at solutions than problems.
- I’ll run from the stress and fears over lost finances, and instead walk along the Erie Canal today, as I review my own life-changing financial targets.
You?
Related posts:
Smart skill 1 = Question to Refuel Finances Past Media Fears
Smart skill 2 = Question to Leap Over Life’s Ruts
Smart skill 3 = Question with the Brain in Mind and Move
Smart skill 4 = Question Research to Create Cutting Edge Tools
Smart skill 5 = Question Myths and Reboot Brainpower
Smart skill 6 = Question Ahead for Grandparent or Family Roles
Smart skill 7 = Question to Know How You are Smart
Smart skill 8 = Question with Two Feet to Spark Curiosity
Smart skill 9 = Question Broken Systems with Solutions in Mind
Smart skill10 = Question Brainpower Through Growth Surveys
on Oct 7th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Very good advice, Ellen! Mistrust and cynicism are definitely not positions of mental or emotional strength from which to operate. Instead, they help create the long-term stress that’s so detrimental to our well-being.
on Oct 30th, 2008 at 9:56 am
[...] we now know that intelligences develop and grow with use. Consider the following two-footed questions as a guide to recognizing and capitalizing on more of your mental [...]
on Oct 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
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on Nov 15th, 2008 at 11:18 am
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on Nov 17th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
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on Nov 20th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
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on Nov 23rd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
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on Nov 30th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
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on Dec 1st, 2008 at 11:06 am
Ellen, wow, this is profound, all the brain related chemicals that evolve around everyday life. your 2 footed questions provide an opportunity for salesmen to understand how to find out the true needs of their prospects. It can take sales to a higher level of profesionalism and beneift the customers as well. You have a lot to offer in the way of sales training, asking questions is a skills that salesmen need to learn to be good at, but more important is to listen to the answers given. That applies to 2 footed questions as well.
I am not a grand parent yet, it sounds like a lot of fun. Ellen I know you are too young, how did you learn this insight?
JDs last blog post..Let’s Do What We Do!
on Dec 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Oh, Jim — you are kind!!! It’s true I have no grand kids yet but I cannot wait until I do have grandchildren!
Jim, can you imagine the delight of grand-parenting that draws people together the way you do as a leader? Now that is cool!!!
on Dec 25th, 2008 at 8:12 am
[...] hidden and unused talents, and learn from differences. MITA approaches have us moved daily to question possibilities, target improvements, expect quality results, enlist multiple intelligences, and reflect on [...]
on Dec 28th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
[...] fuels the brain to create a winning action or movement toward your financial gains. Ask one of the two-footed questions listed here, or create your own better question to move your mind past fears into into an action [...]
on Dec 28th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
[...] you generate opportunities for responses from different areas of the brain. Ask three or four two-footed questions listed here, or create your own multiple intelligence questions to move past ruts. Whether you go [...]
on Dec 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
[...] and heart, since we now know these two are inseparably melded in any balanced life. Furthermore 2-footed questions invoke responses from many angles of the mind, only recently recognized as working well together [...]
on Jan 2nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
[...] for Grandparent or Family Roles Smart skill 7 = Question to Know How You are Smart Smart skill 8 = Question with Two Feet to Spark Curiosity Smart skill 9 = Question Research to Create Cutting Edge Tools Smart skill10 = Question Myths and [...]
on Jan 12th, 2009 at 10:12 am
[...] hold opposing views up to the rainbow for a look through people’s unique lenses. Take the 2-footed question, Are you prospering with the brain in mind?” To facilitate that roundtable approach in any [...]
on Jan 18th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
[...] Show theme at start - use technology to highlight clear theme and project two-footed question you’ll address in session. That way people prepare mentally while you prepare [...]
on Jan 26th, 2009 at 8:20 am
[...] fuels an inventor’s ignition, and great questions spark brainpower for creative [...]
on Feb 2nd, 2009 at 9:31 am
[...] Reboot your day with a two-footed question that leads first toward a solution and second toward your own creativity to [...]
on Feb 4th, 2009 at 3:46 am
[...] to know your skin weighs twice as much? Do you wonder why your brain’s 60% fat or 75% water? Do you ponder the implications that blood vessels stretch for 100,00o miles, or that each of 100 billion neurons [...]
on Feb 7th, 2009 at 8:17 am
[...] people are silenced, rather than helpful. Effective leaders facilitate more brainpower by asking 2-footed questions, rather than talking at people. They target improvements in briefly stated goals that generate new [...]
on Feb 22nd, 2009 at 1:04 pm
[...] lifetime ago I taught inner city secondary students, filled with curiosity and extravagant brainpower. Like people cry and rage now, faculty and parents shouted back then [...]
on Feb 24th, 2009 at 10:56 am
[...] for me is is based partly on two-footed questions, that stoke curiosity and serotonin that accompanies it. [...]
on Mar 3rd, 2009 at 6:29 am
[...] getting ahead in a class. Reality: Boredom’s ruts forms in brains- successful learners use 2-footed questions to stoke [...]
on Mar 6th, 2009 at 8:16 am
[...] others 2-footed questions to stir specific ideas from what they know, before you tell them new facts. That way real issues [...]
on Mar 15th, 2009 at 11:54 am
[...] sets effective faculty apart? Their mentoring skills for starts. They might toss out a 2-footed question that draws learners in with one foot and leaps forward into course content with the other. Brain [...]
on Mar 19th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I am intrigued by your blog and its vast knowledge source.
Highly appreciate your being in this state of sharing.
What would be the two step question approach for those who fear a job loss esp. because of lower levels of self-confidence (internal cause) and higher competition from the higher numbers of workforce (external cause)?
on Mar 20th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Many thanks for your kind comments Shrikant. Fear is the enemy of safety from job loss or of the rebuilding process it requires after. Here are a few ideas that may work well - with the brain in mind. http://snurl.com/e7jcv
What do you think?
on Apr 3rd, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again - taking you feeds also, Thanks.
on Apr 10th, 2009 at 7:33 am
[...] that the first principle of deeper understanding is a curious mind. Furthermore, I found that two-footed questions tend to become harbingers of amazing solutions to complex problems. To question is to engage [...]
on Apr 24th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
[...] touchdown where carriers cruse into place, brimming over from courage and zip - fueled by sheer curiosity. That landing where fresh ideas replace rusted ruts. Does that describe your [...]
on Apr 30th, 2009 at 8:58 am
[...] and you too may be failing because you think or work differently from the status quo. When you question or disagree with “Their [...]
on Jun 14th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
[...] Two-footed questions, open pathways to curiosity and attract more high performance minds into the brainpower and [...]