Six words in the English language either cripple or empower individuals. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How all stand tall in human dialogue. Any one of them can lead us on journeys of self discovery. All of them can guide us to innovate. Each word by itself, individually, poses challenges to our current thinking.

Yet, when faced with a dilemma, people cringe at asking the hard questions. People want easy solutions to their problems, not the best solution, not the thoughtful solution, just the solution that will stop the pain of their own struggles. Sadly, the solutions that are accepted all too frequently lead to deeper and deeper dilemmas.

How, then, can questions be used to empower, rather than cripple? Simply take any issue that concerns you. State the issue in five or fewer words. Write the issue on an index card. Now, without looking for solutions or answers, write down questions that you believe need to be answered. Write each question on a separate card. Begin each question with one of the six question words.

At first, the questions tumble from your brain. At some point, your brain stops abruptly. Now the easy questions are on the table of discovery. Without letting yourself develop answers, take a "thinking break" to allow your brain to refresh itself. Do something, anything, just for the sheer fun of it. When you feel refreshed, return to the issue and the questions you developed.

Review your question cards and pull any questions that ask "when" or "where." Most likely, you already know the answers to these. Then, pull the "why" questions. Most answers to these questions result in causes, effects, and justifications. Those results limit your probing capability. Next, evaluate the "who" questions. This evaluation leads you to determine how much more you need to know about the "who" that you have identified. For those needing more detail, return to your six question words and develop new questions related to the original "who" questions.

Only "what" and "how" remain. Each of these questions acts as a prompt for asking more in-depth questions about the original question. As a suggestion, begin with the "what" questions you already asked. The brain can work faster with "what" questions than "how" questions. Observe the change in the questions as you ask your brain to produce more and more. You are free to use any of the six question words; however, you want to ask questions that will pull the most detailed information from your brain.

Before moving to the how questions, review the new stack of questions. Pull any "when," "where," and "who" questions. Then, develop additional questions related to the new "what" questions. Continue the process until your tummy and your brain agree that you have reached the end of your quest for information.

Finally, consider the original "how" questions and any "how" questions that emerged with additional probing. In time, the answers to these hardest of questions will reveal the path you are to follow in resolving your dilemma. All of the preliminary questions you asked invited the brain to jump to answers and solutions prematurely. Delaying the answering empowers you by deepening your thinking. Avoid the quick fix. Your brain is a muscle that needs training, discipline, and productivity to be as successful as possible.