THREE QUESTIONS THAT DRIVE DEEP REFLECTION

What is happening ?

I like this in the present tense.  It implies that this reflection question happens in the moment, providing an immediate lens of awareness.  This is a game changer if you have an interest in breakthrough results in your life.  The key to this question is the rigor of observation.  Challenge yourself to stay with prejudgment, pre-interpretation observations.  What am I seeing ?  What am I hearing ?  Sensory connection is the foundational muscle that allows for true observation.

What is this telling me ?

Pattern recognition.  Begin making associations and connections about the observations.  Think of this as 'informed assessment".  What is new about this is it will be inevitably a new version of the story you usually tell about ... yourself, others or the world. 

What is this teaching me ?

This can sound similar to 'What is this Telling me ?'. Think of it as an invitation to consolidate the learning from the specific situation and distill it into a phrase that can be applied in another context.  This is called "a teaching".  Usable wisdom from real experience.  In other words, these three steps are the process for becoming an elder.  They work best in dialogue with the assistance of a mentor who is well honed in the Art of Questioning.