Have you always?

Questions that begin with “Have you always … ” are common:

• Have you always been a people person?

• Have you always played so well?

• Have you always been a good reader?

• Have you always liked to run?

• Have you always been creative?

None of us has always been any of these things. Outside of genetics, little about us has been constant.

“Have you always” questions are less obvious ways of asking things like:

• Did you have to work hard or was it easy?

• Can I learn to do what you do?

• What was your childhood like?

• Who were your mentors and what were they like?

• Did you ever reinvent yourself?

• What’s your origin story?

It’s good to know the intention behind a “have you always” question. It might even be better to start at that deeper level.

(Note: Questions that have to do with “is stuff easy for you?” are best left unasked. Presume that the answer is “no” and ask a more interesting question.)