It’s a ridiculously simple question.
But it’s not only one of the most powerful coaching questions I’ve used, it’s one that we don’t often ask ourselves – and one that can be difficult to answer.
More often we ask ourselves:
What should I do?
What do others want me or need me to do?
What do I have to do?
This simple question – “what do I want” – can be applied to a micro situation; a problem, a work-related issue, a project, a tricky conversation…
But also, as we slide into the end of the year and our summer break, it’s also a useful question to sit with on a macro level.
What do I want – when it comes to my life, relationships, health and career, even how I spend my time?
I’ve been sitting with this question for the last couple of weeks. It’s a hard question for me to answer. I find the ‘shoulds’ and the ‘can dos’ are loud, shouting voices that clamour for my attention. But when I get still, and I keep coming back to this quiet question ‘what do you want Suzi?’, something is slowly emerging.
So sure, fill out those 2023 goal sheets and plan for success workbooks, but maybe before you do – when you’re lying on the beach in the sun, when you’re going for a walk, when you get still – keep this question at the heart of your musings.
Ask yourself ‘what do I want?’
Related: What Your Closest Friendships Can Teach You About How To Be a Better Leader