The Mind Body Project
The Mind Body Project
MM Ep 25: What If
We share a layoff story and how negative what-ifs nearly stalled a new start, then show how to flip the script toward possibilities with practical steps. The talk ends with a challenge to test positive what-ifs in work, relationships, and daily choices.
• the pull of negative what-ifs after a setback
• the missed upside when we skip positive what-ifs
• a balanced method to reframe risk and reward
• practical micro-steps to test new paths
• applying the lens to career, community and habits
• a simple daily practice to build the skill
Thank you for joining me on this week's Mindful Moment
Welcome back to a mindful moment. 17, 18 years ago, when I was working in a factory, they had given me my pink slip, it's time to lay you off. It was, what am I gonna do? And as I went over all the options, was it to go back to school? Was it to find a different job? There's two words that kept creeping in. It was what if? What if I can't find another job that has the benefits like this one? What if I go back to school and it puts a hardship on our family? What if start a business and it doesn't, as it doesn't make it, it fails, and I've invested that time and money? What if I do these things? How's it gonna affect my family? How's it gonna affect me? All those what-ifs crept in. As you noticed, those what ifs I just went through were negative. What if I start a business and it's a success? What if I do those things and it makes it better on my family? What if I do those things and I enjoy what I'm doing more? What if I do those things and it advances my career? It advances what I want to do. What if? We typically what if ourselves to death, but we don't do the what-ifs in a positive way. We what if ourselves with all the negatives, all the things that can possibly go wrong are the what-ifs. Sometimes in a relationship, there's one person that will what if to the nth degree of the negative. And there's the other person that doesn't really think about the what-ifs of the negative. They just don't really even say what it, the what-ifs if the positive, they just go forward and have the dreams and goals and never what-if the negative. So my challenge to you is stop what-ifing the negatives. Because we can what-if the negatives uh and make it a bad thing. But I challenge you to when things arise, what if yourself in a positive debt way? What if I take that new job? What if I get in that new relationship? What if I attend that new church? What if I make a new friend? What if I try this new hobby? What if I have this experience? And what if yourself in a positive manner? Because a lot of times those what ifs in the negative never happen. We make it so bad in our head that those what ifs stop us from the great possibilities that lie ahead of what if. So next time, when you go to make a decision, go to make a change, what if yourself and see how great your what if can be. Thank you for joining me on this week's Mindful Moment. I'll see you right here next time on Mindful Moments.