What if…
Stop asking, “What about?” Start asking, “What if?”
What if the people you’re trying to please approved of you? How would you spend your energy? Living to please others is serving fear.
Serve freely.
What if you’re preparing for problems that won’t happen? It’s true. Bad things happen. Anticipating problems is useful, but not if that’s all you do.
Press forward.
What if you’re imperfect? Your knowledge, skills, and talents are lacking. Imperfection is permission to try. Don’t use imperfection as an excuse. I hate the thought that imperfection becomes indulgence and entitlement.
Bring what you have.
What if success is serving, not working for artificial results? Think less about the scoreboard and more about the game.
Show up to serve.
What if the perfect set of circumstances doesn’t exist? You’re waiting for the stars to align, but they aren’t cooperating. Now what?
Stay busy.
What if you stopped feeling sorry for yourself? Think of the energy you might experience if it wasn’t wasted on self-pity, anger, or resentment.
Release disappointment.
What if?
What if the conversation in your head is just that, and when you have the real conversation, it is not as bad as you imagined? What if it is only your opinion of things, but if you talk to others, you get a better view? There are so many possibilities 🙂 What if you do not let fear hold you back anymore, but take the step into the unknown and grow
Thanks Marike. The “what if” conversation we have in our head is almost always worse than the one we actually have. So true1
Good morning
What if – two of my favorite words to be seen written at the top of a reader board
Enjoy the day
MAS
Mark A. Smith — Owner
Midas of Central Virginia
Follow us on Twitter @ MIDASRVA
804-240-1066
MAS@MIDASOFCENTRALVA.COM
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Thanks Mark. Yes, I heard you say “What if,” on my visit. It got me thinking.
“What if …” are two great words to use in other circumstances as well. Imagine that somebody has an idea and you want to embellish it without expressing judgment or discouragement. “Yes, and what if…” works quite well and enables you to add something new. These words are spark plugs for other forms of creative thinking as well!
Great post! How many managers waste their time serving fear? What if most didn’t? Imagine how much energy would be refocused to do more good.
Show up to serve! What if you thought more about contribution and less about remuneration? I teach this to my high school economics students, my congregation and my family. If they think/act like this they will rarely be unemployed.
Dan by chance I watched a movie the other night call Hector and the search for happiness.
This was his simple take on the What If’s in life after endeavoring to grasp an understanding that happiness is actually the simple pursuit of the things one loves not necessarily the pursuit of happiness.
1. Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.
2. Many people only see happiness in their future.
3. Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story.
4. Avoiding unhappiness is not the road to happiness.
5. On relationship: Does this person bring me predominately A) up or B) down?
6. Happiness is answering your calling.
7. Happiness is being loved for who you are.
8. Great food.
9. Fear is an impediment to happiness.
10. Happiness is feeling completely alive.
11. Happiness is knowing how to celebrate.
12. Listening is loving.
13. You have an obligation to be happy and spread happiness.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1626146/
Interesting, first in the comparison of ‘what about’ and ‘what if’: Initially, I was thinking ‘Are they really different?’ Can’t both be positive or negative, depending upon the context? And of course they can. But ‘what about’ – to me – almost needs more explanation: “What about trying green as a house paint color? It seems to fit better with the lawn and plants.”
But the one that is so important in a list of great examples is “What if you’re imperfect?” And of course we’re all imperfect to some degree… Perfection is at best a target, an ideal – a target that won’t be reached. It does deserve our best thinking, Considerinng (of course), and efforts to be the best within the constraints and criteria, most importantly a useful outcome. But it’s also important to not be paralyzed by perfection, keeping us from engaging. (And, equally importantly, understand there will certainly be a time when that useful outcome will no longer be useful! Self-assessment is a must.)
Being an engineering faculty member, I like the following story very much: It seems that there was a long a straight path. There were an engineer and a scientist / mathematician at one end and a supply of their favorite beverage at the other end. They were instructed that every ten minutes, they could move half the distance from their present location towards the beverage. The scientist / mathematician immediately left for the office. She / he knew that no one would ever get to the beverage. The engineer on the other hand, followed the instructions since she / he knew eventually the distance would be small enough to reach out and get the beverage!
Best advice – “Release disappointment”
I like that question!