Ty Howard
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"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future." ~ Deepak Chopra
One of the most asked questions we receive in our daily lives, how are you doing? A momentary pause commonly follows this question, and most of the time, we hesitate to answer the question because we do not want to answer it honestly. It is a friendly and usually rhetorical question (often, not requiring a serious or honest answer) about a friend or acquaintance's general state of affairs. It’s generally answered with an offhand "Great," "Fine, thank you, how are you?", "I'm alright. How 'bout you?", "I'm good, but things could be better," "Bro/girl, I'm blessed! What's up with you?"
From time to time, we choose not to respond because we feel the person asking does not want to hear the honest answer, or we think the person asking does not know us well enough to receive an honest answer. Sometimes, we may be wasting time scrolling through social media feeds, so we choose not to respond to this question online, and then they're times we are just doing something too personal, and we do not want to tell others about it.
When someone asks a person in poor health "how are you doing?" or "how are you 'Really' doing?", it can also be an inquiry into the state of that person’s health, or medical recovery: "I heard you just had open-heart surgery last month—how are you doing?"
Let's face facts — our mental, emotional, and physical states belong to us. If we're going to hold-tight to anything in life, it's the guarded confidentiality of our well-being. It would be unusual to reply with a less-than offhand answer to anyone but a close friend or caring family member, i.e., "Not so good, now that you ask…"
On the surface, I can understand why one might be protective and reluctant to give an honest answer to a simple question. Then, on the other hand, I think it is imperative that we provide an honest answer, not only to the question, "how are you doing?" But to the more personal and direct question, "how are you 'Really' doing?" Especially when this question is posed to you by a caring family member or close friend, provide an honest and straightforward answer.
I consider "how are you 'Really' doing?" to be a Big Question that should always be answered honestly and at that moment when asked of you by a caring family member or close friend. You should receive it as an appreciative inquiry into your truthful health and well-being. Your caring family member or close friend is asking you, how you feel and how is the status of your physical and mental health; to include, inquiring about your psychological makeup or social status as well. So, answer honestly and at that moment.
Why? Because the honest answer you give today may save the one life that should mean the most to you—your own.
Caring Greetings! How do you currently answer the question, how are you doing? Please feel free to share your input by commenting below. Thank you in advance for sharing.
About the Author: Ty Howard,
Founder, CEO and Editor in Chief of MOTIVATION magazine
Ty Howard is an organizational development consultant and executive and manager development coach. He's an internationally recognized authority on personal, professional, relationships and success habits development. He is the creator and lead facilitator of the trademarked Untie the Knots® Process, and the author of the best-selling book Untie the Knots® That Tie Up Your Life: A Practical Guide to Freeing Yourself from Toxic Habits, Choices, People, and Relationships, as well as dozens of published articles on relationships, healthy habits development, empowerment and peak performance worldwide.
For information on the author click on the following link: Ty Howard.
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