Why Boomers Need to Get Better at Asking the Tough Questions
We all have fears that stop us from thinking about the really important things.
Personally, I think that we should be contemplating bigger issues so that we can make informed decisions. Only then can we take action to make the world better. We are not just lumps on the logs of life. We are sentient beings.
So, perhaps we should think about getting out of our comfort zone. Is it time to take some risks, make glorious mistakes and take plenty of leaps of faith?
The comfort zone is where exceptionalism is minimized. The comfort zone allows daily life to function at the lowest common denominator. However, we don’t always realize just how much we give up for the sake of comfort.
In an effort to minimize our greatest fears, we can be sacrificing our heart’s deepest desires. In the name of comfort, we can and will sacrifice potential.
Tony Robbins says (paraphrasing), “The dance of life happens between our greatest fears and our greatest potential.” This translates into “Life happens outside your comfort zone.”
This sounds good in theory, but how do we move through our fears to break free of limitations and embrace our true potential?
Here is my list of the top 10 things I think that we don’t think enough about.
- Why do we not value kindness as a core human value?
- What is the real role of government in the lives of its citizens?
- Why do women over 60 feel invisible?
- Why do we often distrust people of a different nationality?
- Why are many countries still experiencing systemic unemployment?
- Why don’t we restructure educational systems to reflect realities of the 21st century?
- Why do people feel the need to convince others of their beliefs?
- Why do we not prioritize sustainability in our lifestyles?
- Why do many older women prefer to live alone?
- What motivates us to immediately pull out our smartphones when sitting anywhere?
You Have to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone to Maximize Your Potential
One of the ideas I talk about in my motivational speeches is the concept of maximizing your potential. It’s too simple to say that we are mostly lazy thinkers. There is more to our nature than saying, “I want to stay in my comfort zone because it’s nice there.”
Of course, maximizing your potential takes effort and resourcefulness. It takes the ability to view your limiting beliefs with distance and honesty. It takes getting rid of the overpowering ego and putting it in its proper place.
There is a basic human struggle between ego and potential. You can only win with potential by being mindfully aware of everything that surrounds your life. You have to ask the deep questions. Everything that is inside of you – emotionally, spiritually, physically, and psychologically is connected.
It is fear that makes up the boundaries of your life. Don’t you think it’s time to stretch your mind? I’m sure you have things you don’t like to think about because they frighten you. Perhaps if we share them, we can get stronger together.
What Do You Think?
Let us hear from you about your struggles to be brave, get motivated and out of your comfort zone. What are the top ten things you don’t think about? Why do you think asking the tough questions is so, well… tough? What fears create boundaries in your life?
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I have saved this article to reread a few times. It seems powerful to me and I thank Joan for writing it. This question she posed is very timely for me and I am going to start with pondering it: What is the real role of government in the lives of its citizens? Suzanne Millier put even more questions into her comment that I’ll pair with the role of government question. Her comment about the unhoused fits in with this as I ponder the role of government in the lives of our citizens. So, now I think I will ponder what is the role of government in the lives of our people…all the people. For example, I will most likely never need resources for homelessness but I do have a close family member who does need those kind of services. While he is not homeless, he would be without government resources. While I will never need Medicaid services, my mother needed them desperately the last 15 years of her life. And so on it goes. While we are currently looking at an important election year in the USA, I must look at the candidate that not only reflects my personal needs for the role of government but the broader needs of our citizenship as a whole. I need to be able to articulate that question and its answer in my own mind. So, again thanks Joan for posing this big questions to ponder.
I love these questions, too! (Perhaps Rose and I should talk!)
I drive my husband crazy asking questions like these:
Why do we keep having wars….haven’t we learned how awful war is?
Why doesn’t becoming a parent require a license, with training like marriage or driving a car does?
Why are grocery stores allowed to put so much junk food right by the checkout counter, when we know how negatively it affects many of our population in terms of weight and illness?
We know that there are generally four types of unhoused people–those suffering addiction, those with mental health issues, those who are down on their luck or cannot financially afford a house, and those who like the lifestyle. Where is the comprehensive, coordinated approach to develop action plans to address these and communicate those plans to the populace?
I sometimes wonder if the Boomers “shot the wad” in the 60’s and have since taken the Path of Least Resistance….
I could go on…..thank you for this wonderful article.
I love these questions! Thanks for putting them out there. The number of people I can discuss these with can be counted on one hand, but I will try. Absolutely, to discuss these things takes courage and effort, but well worth it, in my opinion, to grow, and maximize life, and your potential for life. Please keep spreading your message.
I think we don’t ask the tough questions, because we are afraid of the answers. Each of the questions you ask above would require us to take uncomfortable action of some sort.
For me, it was dealing with my “fear of being judged”. A deep seeded fear embedded in me growing up – “Do the right thing”. The right thing defined as what is expected of you.
I spent a lot of time and energy thinking about what I was NOT supposed to do.
Now that I’m approaching the next phase of my life, I am asking myself – what do I want to do, and does it really matter what anyone else thinks? The answer, as it turns out, is no it doesn’t :)