March 23

“What if they…?”

“What if this doesn’t…?”

“What if I discover…?”

“What if….?” questions often sound perfectly reasonable, but they are sometimes driven by a deep fear of something going wrong. In fact, they might keep you squarely in your comfort zone, aiming for the safest route.

And, the problem is that we don’t think of our comfort zone as a comfort zone. We think we are being rational and cautious and tempered in our approach. But at the root of all of these questions is fear.

However, “what if?” can also be asked from a positive slant:

What if this is exactly the opportunity I’ve been looking for?

What if I discover I’m actually good at this?

What if I enjoy it and it opens up a new world of possibility for my career?

The same question, asked with a different slant, is a courageous question rather than a cowardly one.

Make your what-if questions positive, not negative.

Do you tend to ask courageous or cowardly “what if?” questions?