The Miracle Question: Real Steps for Success

Dream big! Reach for the stars! Get after it!

Hmm. What exactly do these phrases mean? What exactly are they instructing me to do? How do I even know what to ‘dream big’ about?

Now, I’m here for dreaming big. I’m all for it. But there are a couple of reasons why these well-meaning but ultimately meaningless mantras might grate on people.

Firstly, often we don’t even know what our dream is. We know we want something. We want to move forwards towards… happiness? Success? But we don’t know exactly what that looks like.

Another reason is our goal looks and feels…

Too big.

Unachievable.

Unrealistic.

‘In an ideal world…’ type stuff.

It can be impossible to even imagine ourselves having achieved something if it feels out of reach. We’re so much better at imagining worst case scenarios than imagining what could go right thanks to the over-zealous fear centre of our brains, always on the lookout for danger. (Remember, our brains are built for survival, not success).

So what can we do about it? One powerful tool I use with clients can help with both of these scenarios. It’s called the Miracle Question and it’s designed to help you rewire your brain by visualising positive outcomes.

Here’s how it works:

Instead of asking you to try to imagine having achieved your goal if that feels too big, we break it down into the next small step.

Firstly, look at where you are on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of having achieved your goal with 10 meaning you’re there. Then I ask the question: ‘If you imagine that overnight tonight a miracle occurs and you’re ONE step further up that scale, what would be different? What would have changed?’

Notice how I don’t ask you to imagine being at a 10 already.

Just one step higher.

Most people can imagine that, even if it can still feel challenging.

I then guide you towards building a picture of yourself at that step on your scale, doing something you might be doing if you’re just that one step higher. I encourage you to make this picture really vivid. The picture doesn’t even need to be related to a specific goal. It can be a picture of something you’d be doing if you felt just a little bit happier, more energetic, more confident etc.

Why do I ask this? It’s not to put pressure on you to go and do the thing you’ve described (although if you do, that’s wonderful). It’s to help you to be able to visualise a realistic positive outcome. By practising it in this very structured way, it helps you to be able to do it ‘in real life’. This rewires your brain and helps you see a way forward.

We need to work with our brains here. So let’s look at what’s going on inside our brains when we’re finding it hard to move forwards, and how the Miracle Question can be used to help.

The brain succumbs to something called a ‘confirmation bias’. This means that, what we believe to be true, our brains will seek evidence for. So if we think we’re incapable of success, our brains will look for all the reasons to support this belief, neglecting anything that suggests it isn’t true. By using the Miracle Question, we’re practising changing the negative message your brain is believing about whatever it is you want to achieve. If you can visualise yourself taking a positive step, however small, that’s the first step towards changing the record your brain’s been listening to for years.

It also encourages neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change over time as a result of environment, beliefs, thoughts and actions. By encouraging more positive thoughts and actions, the Miracle Question helps you change your beliefs, rewiring the brain for a more positive outlook.

So you can see how, even if you don’t know what your dream is, by using the Miracle Question to visualise small successes, you might just figure it out over time as you’re encouraged to take more positive actions. And if a big goal feels unrealistic, the Miracle Question helps you break it down into smaller, more achievable steps.

You’ll be amazed by what you can achieve just by using this simple but powerful tool.

If you’d like to work with me to help you achieve your goals, follow the link to book an Initial Consultation. I’m excited to get started!

https://www.fullcolourhypnotherapy.co.uk/booking-calendar/initial-consultation?referral=book_button_widget