I was introduced to a tool called ‘Access Consciousness’ sometime ago by a friend. It is a simple but profound technique that asks different questions to make us aware of what we think, feel and believe. They then use a ‘clearing statement’ to change our point of view, thereby allowing us to create a different experience or outcome. It made sense to me as I have long believed that we create our reality by what we choose to think, believe and focus upon. The most profound impact practicing access consciousness has had on me is that it taught me to stay in the question. Once we are “in answer” we limit our possibilities as the brain has found a target, it so it stops seeking any further ‘answers’, thereby ruling out any further possibilities.

         As little children we are constantly questioning, asking “why?” 

This can be very annoying and unnerving to the adults around if they believe:

(a) that they should have the answer and do not, or

(b) don’t want to make the time to give an answer.

As a result, many of us learn very quickly to stop questioning (or at least to stop voicing them) and sometimes learn to blindly accept the reasons and answers we are given. We are conditioned to follow instructions, ‘tow the line’ and be “good”. While it makes our parents lives easier and even helps to keep us ‘safe’, it can limit our expansion and growth.

When we learn to ask questions or “stay in the question” we remain open to possibilities  we may not have encountered or considered and that’s where the magic happens! 

Here are someof my favorite questions from an article “20 Questions That Could change Your Life” by Martha Beck in The Oprah magazine:

1- What questions should I be asking myself?

2 – Is this what I really want to be doing?

3 – How do I want the world to be different because I lived in it?

4 – What is my body telling me?

5 – Where could I work less and achieve more?

6 – Where should I break the rules?

7 – Are my thoughts hurting or healing?

8 – Really, truly, is this what I want to be doing?

And some of my favorite questions from Access Consciousness:

1 – How can it get even better than this?

2 – How does money want to show up for me now?

3 – What’s right about this that I’m not seeing?

4 – What would it take to change this?

5 – What if you would open the doors to being everything you have decided it is not possible to be?

Have fun playing with this and let me know what you think!