Who remembers the Magic 8 Ball? The classic soothsaying toy that with a shake of a ball and a swirl of what appeared to be dark liquid iodine, you could avail yourself of answers to your deepest darkest questions. At 10, my son believes in the celestial powers of the Magic 8 Ball; at 50 his mom questions its validity. (Primarily because it keeps telling me “the outlook is good” on chances I’m winning the lottery, which I don’t play. Is the 8 Ball telling me I should? Maybe that’s the question I need to ask.)
As adults, at times it’s nice to be given the answers. Yet when we’re stuck or overwhelmed thinking about our deadlines, projects, and deliverables, it’s often the questions that help move us from stuck to start.
Sometimes our mentors are unavailable and we’re left to our own devices to figure out the next steps. It’s that looking-for-inspiration moment that inspires me to share a fun tool that I’ve used in a few workshops recently. (You can use this same premise even without having the coaching cubes.)
Take a look at the picture above. I suppose these coaching cubes could be the adult equivalent of the Magic 8 Ball, only instead of giving you an answer they move you into action.
Often that feeling of paralysis or overwhelm surfaces when we don’t pause and ask ourselves basic questions that allow us to refocus, slow down, and get curious.
If today you find yourself a bit overwhelmed or searching for a way to make progress on something that might be stagnant, challenge yourself and pick one or two of the questions on the coaching cubes and see what YOU come up with for answers.
You don’t need answers from a Magic 8 Ball; you just need questions that lead you to better answers, from YOURSELF.
