What if I knew I couldn’t fail?It’s kind of fun to do the impossible!
Walt Disney
What If questions can lead you to exciting places. They open up doors and take you into the realm of the possible.
When working with groups I’ll often use Roger von Oech’s Creative Whack Pack. This is a pack of cards designed to whack you out of habitual thought patterns and allow you to look at what you’re doing in a fresh way. At a recent group coaching session I dealt five cards to each person and everyone had the opportunity to relate one or more of their cards to their life.
The card that generated the most discussion and which, ultimately, had the greatest impact on the group was the one entitled ASK WHAT IF? The card reads: Put some magic in your thinking by asking ‘what if’ questions. What if animals became more intelligent than people? What if we had mouths in the palms of our hands? What if we had edible clothing? Such questions will stretch your thinking and lead to new ideas…
The key question that emerged from our coaching session, and which really got everybody thinking, was What if I didn’t care what anyone else thought?
Such a simple question, but with such profound implications. It invites a radical shift towards living a life on your own terms and without the constraint of living up to the expectations of others. Clearly, unless you’re a hermit you will need to take account of those who live with and around you, but in its broader context this question is truly liberating.
Here are a few more to consider:
What if I knew I couldn’t fail?
What if I didn’t have to do it perfectly?
What if I wasn’t afraid?
What if I really believed in myself?
What if anything was possible?
Embrace the possibilities and have a great week.
The potential of the average person is like
a huge ocean unsailed,
a new continent unexplored,
a world of possibilities waiting to be released and
channelled toward some great good.
Brian Tracy
Even a thought, even a possibility,
can shatter and transform us.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Anyone honest will tell you that possibility is far
more frightening than impossibility.
Julia Cameron