Turning "Something Feels Off" into a Question

I don't talk about this very often, but one of my strengths is recognizing when something doesn't quite sit right—and turning that feeling into a question.

The tricky part is that this strength can easily become a weakness if I don't use it carefully.

In Japan, people are often expected to read the room and preserve harmony. (To be fair, reading the room matters in the United States too. The difference lies in how people read it and how they respond.)

So when everyone seems to agree and I ask,

"Is that really true?" or quietly say,

"Something about this doesn't quite add up..." there's a good chance someone is thinking,

"Here comes the high-maintenance one."

So yes—I try to choose the right time and place. Or at least, I like to think I do.

The reason I can't simply ignore that feeling isn't because I want to prove someone wrong.

It's because I'm curious.

Why do we believe this? Is there another way to look at it? What might we be missing?

Those questions tend to run endlessly through my mind.

Whether I'm thinking about ikigai, careers, or cross-cultural collaboration, many of my ideas begin with exactly that feeling:

"Something about this doesn't feel quite right."

Once I turn that feeling into a question, something interesting often happens.

Hidden assumptions begin to surface. A different perspective becomes visible. New possibilities appear where none seemed to exist before.

That's what I'm after.

I'm not trying to win arguments. I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong.

I'm simply hoping that, together, we can see what's waiting on the other side of that cloudy sky.

Perhaps that's why I have a habit of turning both my own questions—and sometimes other people's unspoken discomfort—into conversations, even when nobody asked me to.

It's probably not the kind of strength most people would put on a résumé.

It also comes with a rather inconvenient side effect.

There's a fairly high chance you'll decide... "He's kind of a pain." 😄

Results may vary. Please use with care.

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