June 17, 2020– There are two words that hold us hostage; can you guess what they are? WHAT IF. Yep, what if holds us back more than anything else. The mere thought of failure and worst-case scenario thinking keeps us from realizing our dreams, finishing our novels/writing projects, and reaching our full potential. Today, we’ll be doing an exercise that will help with a case of the what if’s…check it out below:
- Write down a list of your worst what if’s: e.g. What if I quit my job to pursue my writing career and it didn’t work out? What if I write a book and can’t sell it? What if people hate my book? Write down everything you can think of that has the possibility of a negative outcome.
- Take the above list and write down the POSITIVE what if’s: e.g. What if I quit my job to pursue my writing career and become a best selling author? What if I write a book and I sell a million copies? What if people love my book and tell me how much they enjoyed it?
- Examine the lists and ask yourself if the worst did happen, would you be ok? Chances are YES. Also, make a list of HOW you can get to the positives. e.g. What if I quit my job to pursue my writing career and it didn’t work out? I could get another job or start saving money to take a year off and see what happens. What if I write a book and can’t sell it? I could take classes on how to market my work, how to network, and the best places to sell my book.
The point is to stay positive, be fearless, and have a plan in place! There’s no what if that you can’t handle!