From “Should I” to “What If”
A lot of times, we ask the question: what should I do? Should I do this? We asked around and got different answers from different people. We are still confused on why there’s no one consistent answer and we remain undecided on what to do next. We ponder and become frustrated. We wonder why making decisions is so hard and how some people are able to make decisions quickly and move on.
WHAT IF we ask the question differently? Instead of trying to search for wisdom, consensus, or the absolutely safe answer, we list out the options we can think of and ask the question “what if I choose option 1, 2, or 3, what’s the potential outcome or associated consequences?” Now, you are solving the real problems rather than searching for opinions. You are evaluating the options, assessing the risks and rewards, and narrowing down the potential solutions with more confidence. You may even have plans based on different outcomes. Then, just try them! If one way doesn’t work, you will know it quickly in reality, instead hearing others’ stories. You will learn so much, way beyond the original options you can come up with. Now you've moved away from searching for the narrow road to the absolute right answer and entered the world of endless possibilities!
For example, when I had the idea about this, the first question came to my mind was “ shall I write about it”? I asked myself: based on whose standards? I can’t answer. Then I asked myself, what if I write about this idea, what’s going to happen? The answer quickly came to my mind. It will feel good to write down my ideas and get my thought straight. I happen to have some time now and it shouldn’t take long. I can make the decision later on whether to publish it or not. If I publish it, people can decide whether they like it. If it helps people, it’ll make this effort even more valuable and make me feel good about it. If nobody reads it or people laugh at this concept, it’ll be good information for me to know, too. There’s no really bad consequence of doing so. WHY NOT?
This is why you are reading this article now. It took me 5 minutes to think through it ,10 minutes to write it down, and another 10 minutes to finalize it. I feel relieved, excited and accomplished. I am living my own values and standards, and I applaud myself for the courage to share. Now, it’s your term to provide your feedback. Is this helpful?
