Very few things fascinate more than these two words–What If.
I think at some point in our lives we sit and contemplate those two words and they can either drive us or damn us. I don’t think there is any in-between and that is the simple point in this.
I use this when talking about people who have made some kind of great impact on our lives. It can drive you crazy thinking about all of it but at the same time, can be empowering to you.
What if Jimmy Buffett never picked up a guitar and moved to Nashville where he couldn’t find any success? He gets knocked down and goes to Key West and started a cultural revolution.
What if Garth Brooks never returned to Nashville after coming once and staying for only 24 hours after being homesick? He made his way back and the rest is history.
What if Danny Thomas had never made a vow to build a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus if he had some sort of success as an entertainer? Out of that became St. Jude hospital, that my goodness, has saved so many lives.
What if Jimmy Stewart, after two very unsuccessful plays he was in on Broadway that folded quickly, said to himself that this is not working and went back home? Instead he stuck with it and the result is one of the greatest actors of all time.
What if Sidney Poitier had given up after his first unsuccessful audition because he couldn’t fluently read the script and just stayed a dishwasher for the rest of his life? Instead, an elderly gentleman would sit with him and teach him English and what happened next is history when another iconic actor made his mark on the world.
What if Michael Jordan, after being cut on his high school’s JV team had said, “Well, I tried.” Reports are that he went home and told his mom and she replied, “Work harder.”
We could go on and on you will see that “What If” goes hand and hand with “Never Give Up” in so many ways. Throw in a leap of faith and you are on your way to something. Now pair that with what you want to do in your life.
What if you started that diet and never turned back? What if you turned your journals into a book? What if you wanted to run that marathon and hit the gym to get in shape? What if you wanted to open that store and formulated a can’t miss plan and did it?
Get rid of the–what if–in your life and turn it into–why not–and you will do some amazing things.
One of my favorite stories is from Sylvester Stallone after he wrote Rocky and people told him he was crazy. He had no money but he had something that no one else had. He had an idea and a passion and was even offered up to $300K to sell the script and he would not have any part in it. He said why not me? Why can’t I do this and they all finally gave in and he made his movie the way he dreamt it.
What if tomorrow you took that out of your vocabulary and never uttered it again. What if it became “I did” instead?
It can and will and my goodness, get ready for an amazing ride. Trust me on this.