If Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss both gave you the same advice, would you consider taking it? Both men are incredibly successful, yet they come from backgrounds to which many of us can relate.

When Robbins interviewed Ferriss for his podcast last December, they enthusiastically discussed and agreed upon the importance and impact asking the right questions can have. In less than five minutes, Ferris walked through three powerful questions he asks himself regularly.

What’s the worst that can happen?

Many of us have asked this question and experienced how quickly our brain can conjure myriad answers. In his new book, "Tools of Titans," Ferriss cites this question as the foundation for overcoming fears.

According to Ferriss, the key to this question is in going through the exercise of understanding the impact and consequences of those answers and then making a more informed decision.

Once those answers start coming, it is essential to sort through them, face the implications and figure out the steps we would take to address them. With that information, we can then compare what we are gaining and losing if we take the risk and, more importantly, understand better the cost of doing nothing.

What if I did the opposite for the next 24 hours?

On the podcast, Ferriss discusses his early experiences as a cold caller thinking outside the box to achieve success. However, I prefer to think back to the success George Costanza had when he did the opposite of what he would normally do.

In both cases, the men recognized that they were failing, understood that something needed to change and tried to do a complete 180 to address it. The critical component of this question is disruption.

When we are failing, in a downward spiral or banging our heads against the wall the best but often hardest thing to do is to get out of our own way. Forcing ourselves to think about the opposite gets our brain working in a new way and can get us out of the rut.

How can I accomplish my 10-year plan in the next six months?

In "Tools of Titans," Peter Thiel tells Ferriss that when we have a 10-year plan we need to ask ourselves why can’t we do it in six months. Similar to the opposite question above, asking this question will completely disrupt our normal thinking, forcing our brains to figure out new or creative ways to solve the problem.

In both cases, the idea is to ask what Ferriss calls a "totally absurd question to break the framework." Whether we can accomplish what is being asked is not the point; instead, it is another way to help us get out of our own way.

The bottom line is when we are stuck in a long-term rut or facing an incredible challenge, asking these three questions will help challenge the status quo and get our brain thinking in a completely different way. This approach will not only help us shed the limiting mindset, it opens us up to new paths to success.