Last summer, a local radio station ran this photo on their Facebook page advertising a show dedicated to people who were about to leave for a vacation. The show was all about the things that could go wrong while people are on holiday. I’m sure from the picture, you can imagine the types of situations they discussed – getting lost, or having your home broken into, or a water pipe breaking, or a fire breaking out……… I can feel the stress building just thinking about these things!!
What if……they had used a more joyful picture and focused on the positives of taking a holiday, like……. What if…..you took a wrong turn and ended up discovering a magical location, one that you would have missed if you have stayed on the main highway. What if….you had the most fun you have had with your family in a long time. What if…..you received an unexpected room upgrade and lived like royalty for a week? Feel the difference these “What if’s….” create?
There are a few phrases in the English language that contain within them some awesome power. Writing, thinking and speaking these phrases and the words that you choose to follow them with Can. Change. Your. Life!!!
Now, think of all the times during a single day when you use the “What if…” power in destructive ways on yourself. What if….I don’t get the promotion!! What if …..I get fired!! What if….I quit my day job to become a life coach and no one wants to hire me!! What if…..I’m not….. smart enough….pretty enough……rich enough…..likeable enough….brave enough…??? Multiply that by 365 days and by however many years you have been saying things like that to yourself – no wonder it is way easier to leap to a worse case scenario (where everything turns out horribly wrong) than it is to slide into a best case scenario (where everything turns out so much better than we could even imagine)!!!
But the fantastic thing about the power of the “What if ….” is that it can be used for good just as easily as it can for evil (well, maybe not full-on “evil” but somehow ‘not nice’ just didn’t seem strong enough).
Anyway, the next time you catch yourself using the “What if…” power in a destructive way, try turning the thought around.
So, instead of “What if…..we get lost” try “What if….in taking the route less traveled, we discover paradise.” Doesn’t that feel better.
How about this one…..instead of “What if…..I’m not smart enough” how about “What if….this ends up being loads of fun.”
Or “What if……I can never get enough clients or make enough money being self-employed” became “What if…my perfect client finds me easily and effortlessly, and I make far, far more money being self-employed that I could ever dream of making as an employee.”
Okay, now it is your turn – how can you use the power of the positive “What if…” to help you create the life of your dreams?
Go ahead, give it a try. “What if………………………………………………………………………………….(remember only positive thoughts allowed here)……………………………………………..”
Doesn’t that feel good???
