How to Discover Someone's Motivations and Internal Barriers

Motivation Exploration Questions

Use these questions to help someone understand their motivation and goals better.

• What do you want? What else? What ELSE? (You get the idea)
• What does your ideal day look like for you? What would you be doing? What would you NOT be doing?
• Where would you like to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
• What would you dare to dream if you knew you couldn’t fail?
• If time and money weren’t an issue, what would you like to have that you don’t have now?
• How do you want people to feel?
• What impact, if you could create it for someone else or yourself, would be worth any amount of time or effort?
• What would you most like to change about yourself if you could?

“Barriers” Exploration Questions

Use these questions to help someone see their internal barriers and mental blocks.

• Why do you think you aren’t you getting the results you want?
• What’s stopping you from being where you’d like to be?
• What’s stopping you from being the person you’d like to be?
• What rules are you not allowed to break? Why?
• What are your usual explanations for why you don’t have what you want?
• What would you have to give up to have everything you want?
• What’s one complaint you think people have about you? (Are you sure?)
• What are you afraid of? What would happen if that happened?
• Imagine that you finally have what you want. What’s scary about that?
• To get what you want, whose permission do you need?

Now, go forth and converse! Ask! Be curious and create space. You'll be amazed at what can bubble to the surface.