Verbalizing Thoughts: Asking Questions

Things you think about, notice, or find interesting in your daily life...
When you have vague feelings that you can't put into words...

To verbalize your thoughts, you can start by casually taking notes, but
there are surprisingly many people who ask, "Wait, how should I do that?"

Regarding the verbalization of thoughts,
I found an easy-to-understand article, so I'll share it with you.

What is the simplest way to "verbalize what's in your head and organize your thoughts"?

Today, I will pick out points from this article and examine them.

The original source is from this book:

STEP 1: Take notes on "events + what you felt"

First, start by casually taking notes.
But,what should you take notes on?
What is the criteria?

When you feel something,
whether it is important or trivial doesn't matter.
If there is something that catches your attention,you want to make it a habit to"just take a note!"

I think the hurdle lies right here.

It's not worth the trouble of taking a note.
I don't have time right now.
While you make excuses like that, your insights flow away and disappear.

Therefore, when you notice something,
"just take a note!"is the correct rule to set for yourself.

For example,

Even a one-line note like this is fine.

The elements to focus on at this time are
"events" (facts) and "what you felt" (movements of the heart).

Breaking it down might feel a bit tedious, but
if I had to say, it's a structure of (Fact) + (Inner movement).
Understanding this loosely is just fine.

Facts and emotions should be captured as a set, and
even for trivial things, the habit of taking notes
is the starting point.

STEP 2: Write down the words that come to mind in a notebook

Furthermore, while looking at those notes, ask yourself a "question."
Calling it self-questioning sounds a bit stiff, so
it's better to think of it casually, like a one-man comedy routine
(a self-deprecating joke).

And the trick is,

When you ask "Why?" to a simple note of facts,
your thinking starts to move.

The magic of "Why?", shall we call it? (laughs)

Using the previous example, it looks like this:

By asking a question, you draw out the background and
the values, thoughts, etc., that lie deep within you.

When written like this, it might feel a bit difficult, but
in the end, self-questioning is just
continuing to ask "Why?" toward the depths of your own heart.

STEP 3: Summarize in one line

The web article ended here, but
looking at the book's table of contents, it seems there is a STEP 3.

STEP 3 is about summarizing it in one line, right?

Think about various things, draw out your own thoughts,
and summarize the words that come to mind
into one line.

By forcing yourself to make it one line,
your thoughts become even more condensed and can be verbalized simply.

It takes courage to state it in a single sentence!

Other articles by Toshiya Araki

There were many other articles I resonated with as well.

Verbalizing the unconscious in your mind

Becoming sensitive to your own emotions

The essence of verbalization is "what you say," which is "your own unique perspective."

With that in mind,
feel free to take notes and keep asking yourself "Why?"

"Why?" is the beginning of thought, isn't it? ^^)/

This article was written by

Shigeki Kawahara, a "Future Realization Partner" who helps increase revenue streams
https://mousoubiz.com/
https://twitter.com/mousoubiz