Mind-body wellness relies on a spiritual piece, too. You've got to be able to tune into healing guidance. Most people figure out pretty quickly that this involves asking questions and then becoming aware of the reply. Yet sometimes we're seemingly foiled. It feels like nobody's listening. The answer just doesn't reveal itself in a form we can perceive. Sometimes, the problem is in the question. Today, we'll do a little trouble-shooting.

Your problem is simple enough. You've been asking and asking. Same question, over and over. Nothing's coming through. Consider this as you form the question itself:

Does the question you're asking really lead the answer you want to receive?

This is one of the most common things that messes us up. The question isn't worded quite right. Here are two examples and possible fixes:

Sara was ready for a health make-over. At 26, she was already having trouble keeping up with the other people in her life. She dreaded the sight of a public stairway, because she knew she'd be the last one up, huffing and puffing the whole way. And unbelievably, at her last doctor's appointment, she'd been put on blood pressure meds. Expensive! That was a real wake-up call.

So she started in with her question: "What should I do to improve my health?"

The answer came back clearly. "Lose weight." But Sara discounted it. "I already know that," she'd say. "I need a real answer."

And then she'd ask again. The same question, with the same results. Sara was getting frustrated. This was going nowhere.

Principle #1: If you already know the answer to the question you're asking, dig deeper. You need a different question! Perhaps Sara could try one of these instead:

• What one new habit could I cultivate to make the biggest positive difference in my weight?
• What's the best resource I can enlist for support in sticking with a healthy food and exercise plan?
• How can I get past the thinking patterns that have tripped me up before when I tried to lose weight?

Sara got the insight to begin including more fresh fruits and vegetables in her diet. She'd noticed before that when she filled herself up with fresh foods, she wasn't as hungry for calorie-rich snacks later in the evening. Now she was beginning to feel encouraged. "Maybe I can do this after all," she thought. "There are lots of fruits and vegetables I like."

Sara had also been doing her reading. She had a great idea. "I'll go to the grocery store and just browse," she continued. "I'll pick up a certain food and see if I can get a feel for if I should eat it or not. We'll make a little game out of it! This might even turn out to be fun!"

At the grocery store, Sara began her experiment. She'd pick up a food she knew was probably good for her and ask the question, "Should I eat this?" Then she'd go to another food she knew it was better to avoid and ask the same question, "Should I eat this?" In theory, Sara figured, she should be able to tell the difference.

Only thing was, it wasn't as clear as she'd hoped. Her mind "knew" that the lettuce was better for her than the chips. But she wasn't getting a big difference on the answers. "What could be going on here?"

Do you see what Sara just did? She just asked herself a really great question. "What could be going on here?" She's about to figure this out for herself!

"Ohhhh. I get it," Sara thought, as the light began to dawn. "Even though my mind 'knows' that lettuce is better for me than chips, I really do sometimes get a certain comfort from the crunchy munch of the chip. There is something about eating chips that fills another need for me. Until I find a different solution, I'm going to keep getting drawn back into eating them. I can work with that. But I'm not getting a clear answer now because there's a conflict built into my question!"

Principle #2: Look for conflicts built in to the questions you ask. Sara went outside for a minute. She decided to clear her mind with a little walk around the parking lot. She felt the sun on her cheeks and smiled. It was a beautiful day!

Then, Sara took a deep breath and walked back into the store, this time with a different question: "Is this food healthy for me?" Now she started getting some clearer answers. Sara didn't buy anything on that trip -- it was part of the deal she'd struck with herself. But she was happy to know she had a brand new strategy!

Here's a strategy you can use to check yourself on the question you're asking. Write your question down on a piece of paper. The very act of writing your question down causes you to focus it more carefully. With some questions, you might even try writing a few possible answers. That way, you can see if the type of answer you get is the type of answer you're looking for. If not, then adjust the question a little further.

You can find the answer to nearly any predicament by asking the right questions! It's ok to try out different variations. Before long, you'll find yourself tapped in to a most resourceful stream of insight!