Strong & Vital, Pt. XI - Your Path to Clarity: The Art of Holding a Question

We often think the best answers come from external experts or exhaustive research.  But it’s been my experience that the most profound insights are often waiting within you, ready to be discovered.  In this article, we'll explore a practice that is as simple as it is insightful, designed to unlock your inner knowing in a surprisingly enjoyable way.

It’s the practice of holding a question and I think you’ll agree that it’s a unique and interesting way to cut through the noise and confusion so you can listen for the answers that truly resonate and move you down your most authentic path with confidence.

What exactly do I mean by "holding a question?”  This practice is a conscious, sustained engagement with a specific query, allowing for exploration – not just in your mind, but also in your body and your heart.  It's about inviting insight to emerge with curiosity, rather than trying to force an immediate answer.  Think of your question not as a problem to be solved, but as a seed you plant and tend, trusting the natural process to unfold and bring clarity.

This is fundamentally different from problem-solving.  Think back to the last time you faced a challenge.  Perhaps you did some research, conducted an extensive analysis, made a list of pros and cons, and looked for a quick solution.  That was my approach – for decades.

But now, I do the opposite.  Holding a question is less about "figuring it out" and more about "listening for the answer" from a deeper place within you.  It acknowledges that left-brain logic has its limits in that it’s not always aligned with what you truly desire in your heart.

This is not a new practice.  It has roots in ancient contemplative traditions, where seekers would sit with profound questions for extended periods.  It’s prevalent in scientific discovery, where scientists "hold" paradoxes, letting them percolate until breakthroughs emerge.  Artists and creatives also use this method, carrying a theme or idea with them until inspiration hits.  It's a timeless, intuitive way of seeking wisdom that bypasses the need for immediate gratification.

Now that we know what holding a question is, why should we do it?  What makes this practice so transformative, especially if you’re navigating complex life decisions?

First, holding a question unlocks your intuition and creativity.  In a world that often demands quick answers and instant solutions, this practice invites you to pause.  By suspending judgment and letting go of the urgent need for immediate answers, you open up pathways to deeper, non-linear insights by connecting with an inner knowing that helps you discern your truth from the external noise.

This naturally leads to enhanced clarity and decision-making.  For complex, multi-faceted decisions — whether it's a career pivot, a major life direction shift, or even family dynamics — holding a question allows for a more holistic understanding of the situation.  This is powerful for cutting through external expectations and societal pressures that often cloud our judgment to what truly is in alignment with your desires.

Also, it significantly reduces overwhelm and anxiety.  You can feel paralyzed by the pressure to have a right answer immediately.  Holding a question takes that pressure off.  It cultivates patience and builds trust in an unfolding process, easing the burden of decision paralysis and allowing solutions to emerge organically.

As you engage with this practice, it also fosters deeper self-awareness.  The question you hold becomes a powerful lens you can use to examine your core values, unacknowledged fears, deep desires and even underlying assumptions that might be subtly guiding your choices.  It's a pathway to understanding yourself on a much more profound level.

By its very nature, holding a question cultivates patience and trust.  It develops your resilience and faith in life's natural unfolding process, a valuable asset applicable to all areas of your life, not just the question at hand.  You learn about the seasonality of life and how the most profound answers reveal themselves in their own time.

And finally, you can use this practice to understand the next right action.  Life answers don't always arrive as a complete lightning-bolt revelation.  More often, they emerge as small, actionable steps forward in the form of a nudge, a synchronicity, a new connection or a quiet certainty about what to do next.

For those experiencing a major life transition, holding a question can be very effective. It helps you navigate "liminal space,” where old ways are no longer serving you, but the new path hasn't fully formed.  It's an invaluable tool for uncovering "what's next" without forcing it, allowing creative solutions to develop.

Now that we’ve covered what hold a question is and its benefits, how do we actually do this?

The beauty of this practice lies in its flexibility.  There's no single right way, but there are helpful techniques that will help you make this practice your own. 

Here are four ways to get started:

  1. Choosing the question:  Selecting the right question is critical.  You want to pick something that sparks genuine curiosity or addresses a real challenge in your life.

    You also want to make the question open-ended by avoiding a yes or no format.  When you formulate a broader question, it invites possibilities.  Examples include: “What’s trying to emerge in my life right now?” or “How can I bring more enjoyment into my work?” or “What do I need to know today to move forward in my life with more purpose?”

    The key to picking the right question is that you can feel it resonate deeply in your heart.  It’s less of an intellectual question and more of a heart-based one, a question that truly speaks to a longing or desire.

  2. Using movement and nature as catalysts:  One of the most potent and enjoyable ways to hold a question is through an intentional Question Walk.  This practice combines the incredible powers of movement and nature to open the portal to your inner wisdom and clarity.

    This doesn't require a wilderness expedition.  A local park, a tree-lined street, a garden – even a short stroll during your lunch break – can do wonders.  The key is to find a place where you can be relatively undisturbed and connect with the natural world around you.

    This means leaving your phone and other distractions behind, just a for a bit, so you can set an intention to quietly walk with your question.

    As you walk, simply hold your question in your mind.  Don't try to actively solve it.  Instead, let it breathe as you breathe.  Allow your senses to engage with your surroundings by noticing things like the rustle of leaves, the scent of the air, and the feeling of the breeze on your skin.

    Let yourself get lost in this sensual observation.  The rhythm of your steps can create a meditative state, facilitating the emergence of quiet answers.  Pay attention to anything that catches or eye or ear.  Sometimes, insights aren't verbal – they can come as a subtle shift in perspective, a sense of peace, a sudden memory, or even a symbolic observation in nature that resonates with your question.

  3. Inviting daily integration: A wonderful feature of this practice is even with busy lives and demanding careers, you can integrate this process into your daily life.

    Identify brief touchpoints throughout the day to bring your question to mind.  This could be while drinking your morning coffee, as you’re getting ready for the day, during your commute or right before you go to bed.  These short, consistent moments create a cumulative impact.

    You can also combine this practice with other ones you might enjoy.  For example, if you meditate, gently introduce your question into your quiet time.  Again, the goal isn't to force an answer, but to simply hold it in awareness and create space for insight.  If you journal, write about your question without answering it.  Explore it from different angles and capture related thoughts, feelings, or dreams.  This gives you a way to process it without judgment.

    Another way to integrate this practice into your day is through mindful awareness.  Keep your question in the background as you move through your daily routine.  Notice when related thoughts, conversations, coincidences, passages from a book or podcast or lyrics from a song connect to your question and jot them down. The Universe often provides answers in subtle, synchronistic ways.

  4. Focusing on the process:  Regardless of the method you choose, the most important conditions for holding a question are patience and trust.  You’ll want to avoid overthinking.  This practice thrives on letting go of active problem-solving.  Don't rush the process or criticize yourself if an answer doesn't immediately appear.  Have faith that the answer will reveal itself in its own time and in its own way.

    Also, welcome the unexpected.  Answers rarely arrive as a clear, written directive, but they can come in countless unexpected forms: a conversation that sparks a new idea, a book or article that inspires, a vivid dream, a sudden certainty that settles over you, or even a feeling of clarity you can't logically explain.

    By cultivating these conditions, you create fertile ground for profound insights to surface, guiding you on your unique path to clarity.

As we conclude, I hope you’ll explore the profoundly transformative practice of holding a question.  It’s a way to tap into a deeper source of wisdom that resides uniquely within you, offering the true antidote to external misinformation by helping you discern and recognize your authentic truth.  This practice is especially helpful during times of transition, when the path ahead might seem unclear, and the noise from the outside can feel overwhelming.

 By embracing this subtle, yet impactful, approach – perhaps through the tranquility of walking with your question, allowing the rhythm of your steps and the quiet of the outdoors to be your catalyst for insight – you gain far more than just answers.  You unlock deeper clarity, sharpen your intuition, and cultivate the courage to take action that aligns with your inner self.  It's a journey of self-discovery that empowers you to navigate challenges, embrace new possibilities, and trust the quiet guidance you receive.

Here’s my invitation:  Choose one burning question that resides within you and give this practice a try.

Pick something you've been grappling with, such as a decision on the horizon or a new direction you're curious about.  Formulate your question and allow your curiosity to take the lead while remaining open to the unexpected ways your own inner wisdom will speak.  It will lead you to your path of clarity.

Journal Reflections: What question is ready to be gently held in your life right now? How can you use movement and nature as a catalyst? How can you integrate this practice into your daily life?

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Midlife, Professional Women, Well-being, Wellness, WomenKathy Robinsonwellness, wellbeing, women's wellness, midlife, midlife transformation, transformation, life transitions, wellness practices, life transformation, healthy aging, midlife wellness, strong & vital, PersonalGrowth, MindfulLiving, daily practices, intentional living, holding a question, nature as catalyst, coaching outdoors, walking with a question