Picasso once said, “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” There are many interpretations of that quote but I see it as very appropriate these days…there are too many answers and not enough questions.
Being a long time listener of Anthony Robbins, I am also fond of his quote:
“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”
Just yesterday a patient came in that I hadn’t seen in seven years. His mouth was a wreck, and he knew it.
It was so bad that all I had to do was shrug my shoulders to get the point across. He then explained to me, “I don’t have dental insurance so…”
I put my hands up to signal him to just stop. “So…so what?” We had a good relationship so I didn’t feel uncomfortable interrupting his thought pattern. Besides in my book Art of Examination I referred to the “famous nine words: ‘At risk of insulting, you must tell the truth.'”
I repeated his question in the form of a game. I asked him to finish the sentence in any way he wanted that might change his perspective, not only about his dental condition but his overall health…hell, maybe even his financial condition or even his relationship issues.
“Go on, give it a try,” I said.
He seemed lost. Stuck almost.
“Okay,” I said, let me help you.
If you asked me the very same question I would have said…”I don’t have dental insurance so…”
Well, I’m not going to give you the answer. Please leave your answers in the comments below. Our answers say so much about the way we look at our lives.
It was interesting to me that this patient’s thought process had drifted to a point that would never have happened before our cultural devolution. Is our culture teaching answers that lead to our ultimate demise? Is entitlement a function of nature or nurture?
How would our grandparents have answered the question? How do successful people answer that question?
Looking forward to hearing your responses…and feel free to use this line of thinking when trying to motivate others.
Leave your comments below.