I love the difference in these words….
I don’t know that I always understood the difference, but sometime in my 30’s I began to understand.
I began to understand that life really isn’t about all I held in my brain and all I shared with anyone I interacted with. I remember the days when I believed I better say everything I had to say because I was sure it would be used to bless someone.
And then I began the journey to my heart. I began to mingle with friends who asked me smart questions. I began to experience that what my head held in knowledge was only a small portion of what I had to offer. I began to understand that when I was asked smart questions by wise people, I experienced a whole new level of relationship.
If I were to ask someone who knows you well if you were someone who gives smart answers or asks smart questions, what do you think they would say about you?
I invite you to consider how you might go from being smart to being wise.
I believe that smart questions invite an answer that you do not already know.
I believe smart questions invite a person to reflect and share something that comes with honesty, vulnerability and even playfulness. Smart questions are not always serious and somber, but are often engaging, stimulating and enlightening.
I am grateful I have learned that there is a place in this world for smart answers and there is a need in this world for smart questions. I hope that you will risk practicing smart questions and marvel at how your relationships transform as you playfully risk a new way of conversing.
