A girlfriend of mine was telling me the story of a recent breakup. She was having a bad day, and needing some extra coddling, so she turned to her boyfriend and said: “You love me, right?” Of course, she was asking the question rhetorically. Which is why she had to ask him to repeat what he’d said when he responded: “I think we need to talk.” Ouch. Needless to say, they broke up. She said a month later. I probably would have thrown him out that moment, but I digress…

We’ve all been there, in some way or another. You ask your boss for a review and you’re told “Actually, we need another skill-set.” You ask your old pal when the wedding is and he stutters: “This is awkward. You didn’t make the cut.” Whatever your scenario, you’ve asked a question only to receive the very last answer you wanted. And yet, don’t these moments tend to simply expedite the inevitable? Sure, if you hadn’t asked, you could have spent another month in that job, or another month in a relationship. But, by asking, you took control of the situation, stood up and asked where you stood.

Once you’re in the know, you can take control of your destiny. Sometimes it seems easier to live with the status quo than to question what’s up. But if your gut instinct tell you to ask, you might want to ask yourself why you’re thinking about it. What if you could be happier? Moving on is only as scary as you make it.

I think the future looks bright.