People often ask me how they can blog more.

The easiest blog post to write is the answer. It is also the most useful. You start with a question, and you stop when you've answered it.

Where do you find questions? In your e-mail inbox, in your conversations, in your work, in your life, in the things you want to learn or do. Everything starts with a question.

Always have questions. Learn intentionally. Make yourself a curriculum of questions you want to explore, and share what you learn along the way. Ask and you shall learn.

You may not know the answer. Write as you figure things out. Share those in-between steps, the questions you ask, the partial answers you find. Show your work. Help people build on what you've shared.

Watch other people who answer questions. Learn not only from their answers, but also their problem-solving techniques.

Don't be afraid to return to a question. The best questions teach you each time you attempt them. For example: How can I do this better? What is the meaning of life?

Even simple questions like “Where did I put my keys?” can lead you on an adventure of “How can I avoid losing my keys?” and “What would it be like if I were better organized, and how can I get there?”

If you ever run out of your own questions, or if you want to prioritize which answers might be more useful, look at other people's questions.

When you become the person who can answer questions – or at least give a good try – people will come to you with more questions. What a gift!

You can spend a lifetime answering questions. In the process, who knows what you'll discover and share?

Photo (c) 2008 the Italian voice – Creative Commons Attribution Licence