Shop Talk: Why Asking “Why” is Important

Shop Talk at One Woman Shop

Shop Talk at One Woman Shop

One Woman Shop Shop Talk

Welcome to Shop Talk! While we love providing you with jam-packed, actionable posts, we also wanted to share quick, thought-provoking snippets here and there -- from our brains to yours.

CR here. Often when I’m working in and on One Woman Shop, common threads and themes pop up repeatedly. One that’s come up in a few different ways lately has been the value of asking yourself and others “Why?”

I talked about it in this post on how to get back into action. Essentially, I explained how I use one question to get myself sorted out when I’m staring mindlessly at my to-do list. That question? “Why am I stalling?” Once I’ve figured out why I’m stalling, I can create action steps that address my reasons head-on.

Another time that asking “Why?” is valuable is when working with clients who are dragging their feet. Often, figuring out the reasons for the delay can enable you to creatively problem solve. For example, if you find out that a client is stalling because of your price tag, you can decide whether to offer a discount or just let it go. Likewise, if a client isn’t getting back to you because they’re waiting for deliverables from other people, you can help put together an action plan and timeline to help them get what they need.

Asking “Why?” isn’t just helpful in your business, you solopreneur you. You can use this strategy in your personal life as well. Let’s say that you feel resentful toward a friend and find yourself lashing out. Asking “Why?” can get you to the root of the issue -- maybe you’ll realize that you’re acting out of jealousy, so you decide exactly what you’re jealous of, if you can achieve it, and if you even really want it.

In case you missed it, there’s three important elements of each example above. The first is to ask “Why?” (I think we’ve got that part down, right?). The second is to detail the answer, whether it be out loud or in your head. The third is to take action -- we <3 taking action.

TL;DR: Asking “Why?” Is key to solving pretty much any problem. Really.

PS -- Another question we (Sara + I) love to ask ourselves: "Is this helpful?"

  1. Kait Fowlie says:

    Yes! True for business and personal matters. It’s all about staying focused – not just on the task at hand, but the “the big picture.” Thanks for this reminder 🙂

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