What would your question be?
What would your question be? by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC
I love surprising people and being surprised. I got a text from my oldest son Clinton this p
ast week asking me to come out to his house on Saturday for lunch. I was a little hesitant as I had already made a commitment for later that day. I agreed advising that I had to leave by 3:00 pm. When I arrived there was flurry of activity with people painting, sanding and hanging cupboard doors. (They are prepping their house for sale). After greeting everyone, I wondered why he wanted me there at that time. A few minutes later my four grandchildren came running up from the basement, giving me lots of hugs (one of the many perks of being a grandma).
Clinton asked me to sit in a particular chair, which I promptly did. My daughter-in-law had her iPhone ready to take pictures, I knew something big was coming. With my two sons, two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren gathered in front of I was told to reach under my chair there was something taped to the bottom of the seat for me.
I reached under the chair and found 8 ½” x11 “sheets of paper folded in half. I removed them and when I opened the pages, I was totally and completely surprised! I couldn’t believe I was reading what I saw on the front page, a picture of the woman that has motivated me personally over the years. It was Oprah Winfrey.
I had two tickets to see Oprah the following weekend. OMG! My family knows how much I love her and have held her as mentor and inspiration in my own life. It was so clever of them to put the surprise under the seat the same way Oprah did on her show. I called my sister right away to tell her she was coming with me. The most amazing part of being able to spend an evening listening to her share her stories and insights, is there is a question and answer period at the end. We get to ask her a question. On the drive home my mind started racing, what should I ask? Should I ask a personal question, a business question or something deeply spiritual?
My question to you; what question would you ask if you had the opportunity to ask your most trusted and respected leader?
If you had the opportunity to speak with Oprah, the Dali Lama, President Obama or an inspiring thought leader, what would you ask?
I have changed my mind several times since I started to ponder my “question” and it may change by next week. For today my question is “I am co-writing a business book for entrepreneurs and how would I get you to read and endorse it?”
I will let you know how it goes next session and the question I asked. In the meantime think about your own question and who you would ask. Then ask yourself “How can I make this happen?”