Holidays have made their annual return back into our lives and allow for us to be with families, loved ones and friends. We have been talking a lot about gratefulness this past week and it is certainly special to get some extra time with those who matter most to us. My journey home for Thanksgiving was one filled with food, entertainment, laughter and reminiscence. However, amidst all of the meals, gatherings and catch-ups, one thing keeps coming back to me. My uncle and I were having a conversation about the leap of faith I'm on course to take with my job, career and in some way, my life. After giving him an explanation of my plan he looked at me and said:
He couldn't have said it better.
Earlier this year, I co-founded a community called Quarter for Your Crisis, where we try to move and encourage all of you to go for it. We want to push you further, harder and make you dig deep inside to come out with what it is that defines you. Once you have done this or for those who already know what is that they want in life, you then come face to face with If. If isn't the friendliest of individuals but is certainly someone whose name you have worn out time and time again. Let's be honest here, think about all of the if's you use when looking for a new job. "What if the pay isn't enough?" "What if my boss is extremely upset?" "What if I don't like it?" "What if I'm too afraid to leave?" And these are just a few examples of normal If's. More likely than not, if you are pursuing a dream, the number of if's not only increases but increase in difficulty to ask and answer. "What if I have to move from home?" "What if I lose friends?" "What if I fail?" You get the point.
Now it's my turn to be honest. I am a recovering whatiffer. There, I said it. As someone who battled with If for good portion of my life, I can understand how discouraging it can be to see that two letter word run all over your head. The key to recovery isn't found in the question but in the answer. You see, asking the question is inevitable and it is necessary to do. However, your response to this question is what will define your course of action. If you are like my old self then the reply you give will be one of doubt, fear and discouragement. Now when I ask, "What if," I answer with a new way of accomplishing that task, goal or dream so that I have a plan in case it steers off course.
To help those of you who struggle with good ol' If, try writing out all of the possible scenarios. In most cases, you will see that your worry doesn't outweigh what you want and need to do and in some instances isn't realistic at all. Trust me, most of the answers to my If's were even laughable.
So my question for all of you is this: Are you really going to let If be the biggest two letter word in the dictionary? Start recovering today.
This post was originally published on Quarter for Your Crisis, an online community of like-minded individuals who are looking to turn their passions into a purpose and lead more authentic & meaningful lives.