Customer Reviews

The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions to Guide You to an Extraordinary Life

5 star:		(25)
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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We all say there are things we want to have, do, or be in our life, but then we make choices that actually sabotage our efforts to achieve those goals. Why? In The Right Questions, Debbie Ford reveals the underlying commitments that are really running our lives, and then offers 10 questions we can ask ourselves to break free from a limiting past and move into the life of our dreams. This information is as practical as it is profound. Debbie has a remarkably simple and understandable way of presenting life-changing principles. Thank you, Debbie!

Steven Lane Taylor, author of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat: A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow"

Although this book (as other reviewers have pointed out) doesn't have anything radically new to say, I think it's very useful for two reasons. (1) The author's emphasis on the here-and-now is refreshing: there are whole shelves of self-help books that focus on goal-setting, which is essential too; but you actually achieve your goals (or not) through the small day-to-day choices you make, and few authors provide specific help with that part of the process. (2) If you set goals but consistently fail to get any closer to them, she advises you to examine your daily choices to determine the REAL goals they serve. This can be very enlightening (and sometimes disquieting), but until you've identified how you may be sabotaging yourself, you'll continue to be frustrated.

That said, I found some of the author's advice questionable. (1) She doesn't deal with situations where the "right" choices may conflict. (E.g., should I get up early to go to yoga class, or get a few more hours of sleep? If my goal is to be fitter, of course I should go to class; but if I'm not getting enough sleep, I'm not taking care of myself. The long-term question may be "Why am I overcommitted?", but the immediate problem is sleep deprivation, and doing the "right" thing may compound the problem and/or distract you from addressing the real question.) (2) This may be petty, but I find it annoying when someone who (from her photograph) appears thin, to the point of being almost anorexic, makes self-righteous pronouncements about sticking to diets! (3) The model of behavior she appears to be promoting is total control at all times: you shouldn't make ANY decision, no matter how small, without asking whether your choice serves some lofty purpose. While I agree that it's helpful to observe the patterns in the choices you make, and to change a pattern if it gets in the way of your life goals, some trivial decisions really ARE trivial (chocolate or vanilla?), and it's OK to lighten up every now and then!

then maybe you're asking the wrong questions!

Workshop leader and author Debbie Ford shows you how with her new book.

Debbie Ford, noted workshop leader and author, has written a simple and practical guide to improving your life, and achieving future goals and dreams. As Ford demonstrated with her books The Dark Side of the Light Chasers and The Secret of the Shadow, she specializes in uncovering the unconscious motivations and undercurrents that rule our lives. When we don't examine and question our thought patterns or behaviors, we can move along life quite mindlessly--and quite miserably--at the mercy of the beliefs and commitments we've made during childhood or crisis.

A few of the author's questions are reminiscent of those addressed by other self-help books, but there's a beautiful simplicity in the directness of her 10 questions that is immediately applicable and immediately helpful. You don't have to wade through technical terms or concepts to "get it". And I admit, I like this approach. It's refreshing to have someone lay out a common-sense process to enriching life and increasing personal freedom, rather than craft a convoluted theory or system that promises perfection or enlightenment and bogs down an already-overwhelmed reader in the process!

The Right Questions

1. Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or will it keep me stuck in the past?
2. Will this choice bring me long term fulfillment or will it bring me short term gratification?
3. Am I standing in my own power or am I trying to please another?
4. Am I looking for what's right, or am I looking for what's wrong?
5. Will this choice add to my life force, or will it rob me of my energy?
6. Will I use this situation as a catalyst to grow and evolve or will I use it to beat myself up?
7. Does this choice empower me or dis-empower me?
8. Is this an act of self-love or self-sabotage?
9. Is this an act of faith or an act of fear?
10 Am I choosing from my Divinity or am I choosing from my humanity?

If you're having a rough time navigating through your life and feel drained, directionless, frustrated, and paralyzed, I highly recommend Debbie Ford's new book The Right Questions. When you start to ask the right questions, you can finally arrive at empowering and live-giving answers.

The power of these questions is immeasuarable. It will change your life IF you USE it everytime you make a important choice.
The brain is asking questions on a subconscious level all the time - eg. what should i do now?, is this the right action?, where do i go from here? etc.

If you study people who are depressed and feel stuck in life, you will invariably find that they use the wrong questions. Questions that make them feel stuck and helpless such as "Why do I always fail?", "Oh, who do i think i am?", "why can't i get it right?", "why does it ALWAYS have to be me?". The human mind cannot help but give answers to these questions, thereby creating a loop of negativity.

BUT if you ask the right questions, it will lead to the right answers which makes you stay on your life purpose. The questions in this book are addressing choices you make. There are also other types of powerful questions not included in this book, questions which opens up new ways of thinking and doing things. I would recommend people who would like to explore the power of questions such books as "Frogs Into Princes" and "Structure of Magic" by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. These books address the importance of asking the right questions that they call the "Meta Model" used in NLP. One of the most powerful questions Bandler and Grinder came up with was "What if I could?" everytime you think something is 'impossible'. This question immediately breaks the limitation and opens up new resources and pathways to achieving. Anthony Robbins reckons that this was the one big question that turned him from a failure to success when he was starting out.

And instead of saying "I'm depressed", ask instead "HOW exactly am i making myself feel depressed?" thereby breaking the illusion that depression is a 'thing' that one has, instead of the result of some processes in our mind, or posture. Read these books to master these powerful questions which will change your life.

Take three hours out of your too busy life and read this book.

I've been struggling for months now wondering why I can never seem to find the time for the things I claim are the most important to me. Debbie Ford let me in on a little secret: I have unconscious priorities that are sabotaging my conscious ones. These unconscious priorities are guiding the choices I make on a daily basis, keeping me stuck in a place I don't want to be (but can't seem to move out of.)

If you're tired of going around in circles and want the keys that will help you move past where you are to the place you really want to be in life, read this book. It can be a bit overwhelming to apply at first, but asking yourself The Right Questions before deciding whether to buy another pair of shoes, or eat a cheeseburger, or go to the gym will put you on the path toward your dreams.

You should also know that I read Debbie Ford's book "Dark Side of the Light Chasers" and thought "so what?" But the PW review for this book intrigued me enough to give her another chance (thank goodness.)

I've been around personal development for a long time and seen more good books than I can possibly remember. The Right Questions really stands out for me in that it is so simple, yet effective in helping me to change my choices, behaviors and results. Using the Right Questions has allowed me to have so much more clarity in making the decisions that shape my life and move me toward my goals. I've also come to understand at a deep level that there are no "insignificant" choices when it comes to creating the life I desire. I now am much more aware of choosing powerfully rather than succumbing to some unconscious habit, pattern or desire. I've already seen a positive difference in my intimate relationship and my work. Another book that i highly recommend is "he never called again."

Personally I gained little from this book because I have seen these questions in other books. However, if you are new to self help, these questions could be quite helpful.

Although this book is well written and some people find it effective, these 10 questions did not produce any results for me. Just being truthful.

It's amazing how this book, written with such wisdom and filled with simple truths, can change a readers life in what seems like an instant. After reading tons of self help books, Debbie Ford's, "The Right Questions" hits the nail right on the head. Her explanation of the impact of our underlying commitments was a great, big "aha" moment for me! The Right Questions placed my own personal "Jiminy Cricket" on my shoulder, reminding me to make conscious choices, no matter how big or small the issue seems to be. I recommend this book wholeheartedly! Thank you Debbie - the book is simply remarkable!

Once you read the Right Questions, you'll no longer have the excuse that you don't know how your life ended up as it is and how to make choices consistent with your dreams.

Apply these questions to all your choices...big or small and you'll notice a remarkable difference in your life. You'll be far more conscious about your choices and the results you experience.