Last week I was frustrated with my tomatoes. Ten weeks of nurturing and only a few tiny green tomatoes to show for it.

I thought I did everything right: good soil, plenty of sun, water and fertilizer. But the leaves at the bottom are curling and yellow.

So I did what most of us do these days. I outsourced the question and asked ChatGPT.

It gave me eight possible reasons, like too much water, not enough water, the wrong location, etc.

I was so overwhelmed with all the details of the things I might be doing wrong that I didn’t do anything at all for a few days.

I felt more lost after getting the answers than before I asked.

Context is Key

I’ve done the same thing many times in business. Investing time, money, and energy into growing my company and being frustrated with slow results.

Then spending days or weeks researching what the “experts” say to do about it. 

Experts like the founder with the most money or the bigger business. Or the people with more experience or more degrees than me.

I’d get some good ideas but most of the time I’d end up overwhelmed. In the end I’d resort to doing whatever seemed the easiest and fastest. 

I told myself I was being “agile.”

Eventually I had to stop assuming someone else’s brain was better than mine and learn how to use my own.

When you want answers, ask your own brain first.

Because you’re the only one with the full context.

You’re the one who knows the most about your goals, your team, your customers, and how your business currently works.

You’re the one who knows what you’ve already tried.

And you’re the one who grows from figuring it out.

High-quality Questions

Your brain will answer any question you ask it, so the way you phrase it matters. 

Not: “Why is my profit down?” Your brain will answer with a list of things outside your control, like because the market is slow, competitors charge less, or AI is infringing.

The better question is: “What can I do to make my business stronger?”

Now your brain will give you answers you can act on, like raise prices, reduce unnecessary expenses, refine your offers, or automate.

Ask your own brain first.

Let your own brain answer.

Then, if you need outside input, you’ll know what you’re looking for.

The sequence matters. Think first. Research second.

And don’t allow yourself to get caught up in all the details in the beginning. If you knew all the steps, you’d already be doing it, right?

In other words, not knowing exactly how to execute is not the problem you’re facing.

Not scheduling enough thinking time with high quality questions is the problem.

Thinking Time

Schedule intentional thinking time several times a week to ask and answer your own questions. 

You may believe you’re already doing this because you’re thinking all the time. But most of us are actually worrying about problems, not deliberately thinking about solutions.

I started noticing the difference in my body. Worrying feels tight. Thinking feels open. That’s my signal.

You may think you don’t have time to do it, but it’s faster than trying to implement someone else’s plan.

No one else has your exact context, and no one else can build your problem-solving capacity for you.

The key is how you structure your thinking time.

In every situation there are things that we know and things we don’t. Things that are working well and things that aren’t.

The mind naturally gravitates toward what’s missing or wrong. It thinks that’s how it keeps you safe. 

But that’s exactly what limits your thinking.

The best approach is to start with what you do know and what is working. Think of it like priming your brain so it’ll work better for you and expand what’s possible.

For example, instead of starting with “we’re behind,” you might start with “we have strong client relationships, a capable team, and two services that consistently sell.” Now your brain has something to build from.

Then ask one high-quality question about a priority area of your business. I like “How can I?” questions. I usually set a timer for 30 minutes. More than 45 and my mind starts to wander.

Sit in a quiet room with no distractions and write or type as many answers to the question as possible.

Keep your state of mind relaxed and curious. It’s not an exam.

When the timer goes off, review the list and highlight your best answers. 

Decide which answers you’ll test yourself, which your team can test, and which need another round of thinking time. 

Then schedule it.

Every time you do this, your brain becomes more valuable and you become more confident and resourceful.

And if something doesn’t work the first time, that just becomes the data for your next thinking session.

Prove to yourself that you have the answers.

That’s how you build your inner authority.