“Larry, how is it that the earth rotates around the sun so consistently and never goes out of orbit? I’ve read that if we moved just a tad closer toward the sun, we’d be burned to death and just a bit farther away, we’d freeze to death; isn’t that an amazing system of order and perfection? Who designed things that way…or could all that precision be merely accidental? How can order come out of disorder without a conscious designer? And on a dark night, when you look up at the stars, don’t you wonder what’s really going on out there in space?”

He looked at me in a strange way and said, “Alvin, do you really need to ask those kinds of questions?” Without hesitation, I answered, “Yes.”

I looked at him equally strangely and said, “Larry, don’t you ever ask those kinds of questions?” Without hesitation, he answered, “No.” Imagine for a moment, the first time a giraffe and a fish meet face-to-face and try to understand their differences. That pretty much sums up the way Larry and I stared at each other in the restaurant that night.

Larry and I were working on a consulting assignment with Comercial Mexicana, a retail client. After a long day’s work and a one hour limo-ride through Mexico City’s rush hour traffic, the last thing I wanted to do at dinner was to discuss shelf management, pricing and promotions.

Please understand…Larry (and that’s not his real name), is an educated man with over 30 years of business experience. But after years of traveling and talking with him, I’ve concluded that his mind has little or no curiosity about elevated questions that rise above his business box—beyond the daily grind of the mundane, practical world.

This brings me to you. First, what is your primary occupation or profession?  Second, does it consume your entire thought life? Do you often feel the need to pursue questions that raise you beyond the ordinary?

Here is one timely example: It’s Christmas time. We put up Christmas trees, celebrate with friends and family and give each other gifts. That’s all good stuff, but have you ever asked these questions? Why is there a Christmas…I mean, other than for retailers to make huge amounts of money? Why do the first five letters of Christmas spell Christ? My dictionary says Christmas is a festival commemorating the birth of Jesus…what if there is a real Jesus?

At this point, I want to be respectful and acknowledge that not all of my readers have an interest in this line of questioning and that some who do, believe different answers to be true, based on religions other than Christianity. That’s just a fact that demands no rationalization. But for those who have an inclination or curiosity toward Christianity, I want to challenge you.

How open is your mind to possibilities? Does your mind still ask a thousand questions as when you were a child, or did your questioning stop after high school…after college? Did someone already provide you with the answers? Are certain questions too taboo to examine?

This is not to suggest that you should routinely challenge your core beliefs. Rather, it is a mandate to avoid like the plague, that state of mind where you’re no longer asking, seeking, thinking and wondering. Such a state is one version of death…a condition in which you’re no longer growing, learning or improving. To be truly alive is to experience, feel, know and enjoy more than we did yesterday.

Many of my Christian brothers and sisters have stopped questioning, reasoning and exercising critical thinking skills. It’s not that you question because you don’t believe. Rather, you question because questioning keeps you awake, informed and less prone to deception.

Exercising the power to question goes far beyond the philosophical and spiritual, to all aspects of your life…your creativity, relationships, problem solving skills, conflict resolution and your money making ability. When I was in college, I asked myself one question that led me to a 35% raise in salary and freed up 14 full 24-hour days per year of extra time.

Every week day, I traveled for 40 minutes on a bus to work at a downtown factory. Each day I passed other buses loaded with people going the opposite direction to work. One day I asked myself: “Couldn’t I get a job where they are headed—closer to my home?” Six weeks later, I got a better paying job that was a three minute walk from my home! Each week, I cut out ten bus fares and saved seven hours of travel time.

Could your financial, social and spiritual life use some fresh energy and growth? If so, make a conscious effort to ask many questions. If you want to have spectacular results, ask extraordinary questions about things that most people take for granted…that they regard as givens. Conversely, if you ask ordinary questions, you get below-average results.

How do you ignite or re-ignite this questioning process? To help in that regard, I want to give you a gift…after all, it’s Christmas. This is an audio CD program entitled, Who Am I, Why Am I Here and Where Am I Going? —Three Defining Questions to Make you Great in 2008. Follow the directions I provide in this audio program and your life can soar to new heights—emotionally, spiritually and financially.

Perhaps you have children, relatives or friends you just wish would “get their act together” and start living up to their potential. But if you personally advise or instruct them, they won’t listen to you. Give them this program as a Christmas/year-end gift! It is not just instructional, but also inspiring and encouraging. You could change someone’s life with such a simple act. And the best part is that you get this CD program without price — for F- R  E-E !  Follow the instructions below and the CD is yours…all you do is cover the minimal cost of shipping and handling.

Larry is an alright guy, but he has the potential to be great. This may be true of others you know. Don’t tell them what to do, just help them ask the right questions…questions that elevate their thinking and performance beyond the daily grind—give them a copy of the CD.

Take it from me, this attitude will give you altitude.

Merry Christmas!

Alvin

PS: To get the CD in time, see the ordering information below and order right now, while you’re thinking about it.