Don’t let what if’s determine what is.  I honestly don’t even remember where I saw this but I love it because it took one of my favorite questions into a new context.  This was used in the context of not allowing fear of the future to hold us back.  We talk about the power of the mind and creating reality and this is exactly what we need to think about.  I found it interesting because I saw the need for what if—I saw how “What if” started a different kind of chain reaction.  What if is the doorway to creativity and possibility—so many of the greatest ventures we see, hear about, and experience every day, the greatest advancements in technology and the things that make us comfortable, all of that started with a “What if?”.  If someone didn’t ask the question, we never would have the result.  We all know that What if is a broad question so we have to maintain awareness that there is a point where “what if” turns from possibility to prison if we put it in the wrong context.  So it is up to us to make sure we keep a positive what if.  If we answer “what if” with fear, then we create a reality filled with fear and we make decisions based on fear.  When we answer “what if” with excitement we introduce a reality that is open to possibility, not negativity.  So we need to ask ourselves the “What if,” we just need to make sure we answer the what if with the true desire/possibility we want to see rather than what we don’t. 

I wrote a piece a few weeks ago about the “What If Game.”  I find thinking of all the possibilities and reminding myself of the opportunities available a relief and a place to channel some creative energy.  Depending on what answers I come up with, there are some real possibilities there.  The truth is the possibilities are endless but it is up to us what we choose to respond with.  We spend so much time in our lives trying to get the right answer that we’ve lost sight that sometimes we just need to answer.  It isn’t about right or wrong—it’s about the reply and learning how to shift, how to respond to the new questions that form. It’s also about understanding that people will respond differently to the same question—and that’s ok.  We all have the “what if” that inspires us and we have the “What if” that terrifies us.  It’s part of human nature.  So if we are going to make a statement like “Don’t let what if determine what is” I think we need to be more specific in the context that we can’t let the fear of what if determine what is.  What if is our friend.  How we answer it is reflective of the result we get.  I want to let “what if” determine what is because when I stop asking that question, there is nothing more to find—and I know I certainly don’t have all the answers.  I want to know the possibilities in my life.  My answer to what if is the reality I see and receive.  If the result isn’t what I wanted, I know I need to find another answer. And there is always another answer.  What if I can come up with the greatest possibility I can imagine?  Make that the reality.