Two simple words… “What” and “if” are the most powerful words of all time. Why? Because they can change your possibilities in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, these words are often followed by negativity or limit. When people say things like, “what if I can’t do this?” or “what if I mess this up”
or “what if this doesn’t work” and “what if I look bad?” they limit their own potential right on the spot. My clients are Corporate Professionals, Sales Professionals and Professional (PGA/LPGA) and Amateur Athletes I’ve seen this powerful question change the way they live, work and play.
When people use “what if” in a negative way… it triggers:
1. Tension
2. Doubt
3. Fear
What if you learned to use this powerful two-word question to create more of what you wanted rather than what you don’t want? For example: John manages 25 people at his job. He spends much of his day “putting out fires”, as he describes it. John admittedly is not a great communicator and usually tells people what to do without really allowing for a two-way dialogue. As a result, people don’t feel confident around him and think he doesn’t care about them. Rather than throw a lot of strategies and theories at him I asked John to practice the simple “what if” exercise. I asked him to ask himself, “what if I asked a question first in all my dealings with people today?”
Try this experiment. Next time you feel any doubt, fear or tension or you feel confused or that feeling of procrastination strikes you again; stop and ask yourself one of the following:
* What if I was clear right now? What would I do?
* What if I was confident right now? What would I do?
* What if I took some action right now? What would it be?
* What if I actually DID something right now? How would I feel?
* What if I felt differently right now? What would that feel like?
* What if I didn’t give in to my own sabotage right now? What would I do?
What if… two simple words that focus on the possibilities. What if… opens the door to envision a new possibility, an improved “you” in that moment. Einstein said, “You can’t solve a problem using the same mind that created it in the first place.” Yet, this is what many of us do. Usually, we think, feel and do the same thing time and time again while somehow expecting the results to be different. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? I guess this is why the Chinese say this is the definition of “insanity”.
As a part-time actor I’ve been taught to ask the question, “What if?” as a standard in the creation of a character or in the rehearsal process. “What if the character did this, thought this, felt this way” and so on. This makes the creative process so open and endless. Two little words can open the gateway to incredible opportunities and possibilities!
What if you did things differently today?
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David Breslow: The Transformation Coach is a Speaker, Author and Performance Consultant. His book, “Wired To Win” is available at 888.280.7715. His presentation called “The Art of Resilience” is nationally recognized. His clients include professionals in business and sports (PGA,LPGA). David speaks to organizations of all sizes who want to transform people and results. For more info please visit his web site or call: 847.681.0247.
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