Everyone knows about the mobile messaging app that

sold for $19 billion.

But have you heard about another amazing app—

the one that helps you figure out what to do

whenever you’re faced with a problem or a challenge?

the one that helps you figure out what to do

whenever you’re faced with a problem or a challenge?

the one that helps you figure out what to do

whenever you’re faced with a problem or a challenge?

that increase your chances of success?

And may lead to wealth and happiness?

And may lead to wealth and happiness?

Here’s the best news about this app:

Here’s the best news about this app:

you don’t have to acquire it…

because you were born with it.

The “app” in question

You can see this natural ability on full display in the

average 4-year-old…

for whom questioning is as normal as breathing, and

almost as important.

Constant inquiry helps young kids

make sense of,

Constant inquiry helps young kids

make sense of, and successfully navigate,

Constant inquiry helps young kids

make sense of, and successfully navigate,

the strange new world around them.

Constant inquiry helps young kids

make sense of, and successfully navigate,

the strange new world around them.

Studies show we tend to hit our questioning peak

around age 4 or 5,

Studies show we tend to hit our questioning peak

around age 4 or 5, and then ask fewer

questions as we get older..

Not that we’ve lost the ability to question—

Not that we’ve lost the ability to question—

we just don’t exercise it as much.

Not that we’ve lost the ability to question—

we just don’t exercise it as much.

Teachers and bosses generally want answers,

Teachers and bosses generally want answers,

not questions.

Teachers and bosses generally want answers,

But it’s a mistake to let that inquiry “app” go unused.

Questioning can do as much for adults as for kids—

helping us to explore

helping us to discover

helping us to innovate.

It’s no accident that many innovators and

entrepreneurs are great questioners.

They use thoughtful inquiry to navigate uncertainty and

They use thoughtful inquiry to navigate uncertainty and

They use thoughtful inquiry to navigate uncertainty and

They use thoughtful inquiry to navigate uncertainty…

and find their way to breakthrough ideas and

big payoffs.

and find their way to breakthrough ideas and

big payoffs.

A number of the billion dollar tech start-ups,

A number of the billion dollar tech start-ups,

from Instagram and Nest

A number of the billion dollar tech start-ups,

from Instagram and Nest to Pandora and Airbnb

sprang from insightful questions raised and tackled

by the founders.

So… how do you

So… how do you

So… how do you get better at questioning?

It starts with releasing your inner 4-year-old.

It starts with releasing your inner 4-year-old.

Why?

It starts with releasing your inner 4-year-old.

Good questioners try to look at the world around them

with a curious, observant eye and a “beginner’s mind,”

with a curious, observant eye and a “beginner’s mind,”

taking time to wonder about things others

take for granted.

taking time to wonder about things others

take for granted. ? ? ?

And they’re not afraid to give voice to the most fundamental “why” questions—

even though such questions can make the questioner

seem naïve.

When innovators like the late Steve Jobs

When innovators like the late Steve Jobs

or Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

When innovators like the late Steve Jobs

or Amazon’s Jeff Bezos ask those childlike “why”

questions,

they’re digging beneath assumptions

they’re digging beneath assumptions

and conventional wisdom

to try to get at a deeper truth

and a possible untapped opportunity.

and a possible untapped opportunity.

So, asking “why” is a great start…

but we’ve all seen the questioning child

who goes ’round and ’round in a circle of endless “whys.”

who goes ’round and ’round in a circle of endless “whys.”

progressing from “Why” to

progressing from “Why” to

“What if” to

progressing from “Why” to

“What if” to “How.”

A questioner can move forward on almost any problem or challenge

by first trying to understand it

by first trying to understand it (Why is this a problem?)

then imagining possible solutions

then imagining possible solutions

(What if I came at the problem this way,

or that way?)

and finally trying to figure out practical ways

to turn those what-if ideas and possibilities

into realities.

to turn those what-if ideas and possibilities

into realities. (How might I actually begin

to make this happen?)

It’s not just about typing in a query on Google

to get easy answers.

Thoughtful, productive questioning is a process.

Thoughtful, productive questioning is a process.

Thoughtful, productive questioning is a process.

Thoughtful, productive questioning is a process.

It takes time, considerable thought, and often hands-on

experimentation.

It takes time, considerable thought, and often hands-on

experimentation.

But if we’re willing to put in the effort to ask and act on

better questions…

it can help us work through thorny problems in

business  

it can help us work through thorny problems in

business   and every day life…  

and can lead us to powerful insights and

fresh possibilities.

So… what’s the market value of an app

that can do all that?

So… what’s the market value of an app

that can do all that?

So… what’s the market value of an app

that can do all that?

Priceless.

Read the handbook on mastering your

“question app”

Read the handbook on mastering your

“question app”

on sale everywhere

For more about the power of questioning visit AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com

on sale everywhere

For more about the power of questioning visit AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com