what-if

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How many times on average do you think these two words (what if) pop into your head in one given day? For me, I feel like those two words used to plague my very existence.
What if I get into a car accident? What if I fail? What if I don’t find love? –You get the idea. I am sure you have plenty of your own ‘what if’ statements that have bounced around your head, causing the same ringing sensation in your ears …
My husband used to give me a hard time about all of my ‘what if’ statements. He said I needed to stop being so negative. And he is right. A lot of my ‘what if’s’ have actually happened though:

  • What if I get hit by a truck when driving? (and I was hit by a garbage truck—not fun)
  • What if I hit black ice when driving in bad weather? (totally smashed my car)
  • What if no one ever reads my book? (Well, a book I wrote ten years ago—I lost my one and only copy (USB)—so no, no one will ever read it)
  • What if I travel to a foreign country and a terrorist attack happens? (horribly & sadly true)

Now, did those negative things happen because I said ‘what if’? – No. Of course not. When I’ve told people about some of the crazy things I have been through in my life, and I said, “Yeah, I have had a lot of bad luck”—it took a 15 year-old to point something out to me that changed my view on everything. She said, “Are you kidding? You are the luckiest person I know. Look at what you have been through—and you are OKAY!”
But, I wonder, ‘what if’ … I start ending my statements with positives—maybe those will happen too?? Will life be better if we start thinking a little more optimistically? Should we follow the advice of the famous Norman Vincent Peale & Anthony Robbins – “power of positive thinking”?
So, here are some of my new what ifs (as related to writing) …

  • What if writer’s block never happens again.
  • What if when I write a book I don’t have to re-write it SO MANY TIMES!
  • What if my writing impacts someone—somehow—somewhere …
  • What if I become a successful writer and people all over the world read my work.

So, this may seem like a silly thing to write about, but it was on my mind. I mean, those two little words can prove quite powerful. I was thinking maybe you could share your what ifs as well … hopefully positives—because WHAT IF sharing them makes them come true?
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