How to Embrace Your “What If”
I have a question for you: “what if ?” Those two words, followed by a thought-provoking sentence, has led me down self-exploring paths to bring me to a place of acceptance, hope and expectancy. In the last week, those words have come up in conversations, social media platforms and other “I did not see that coming” ways.
What if…
It all started a few years ago when a wonderful counselor said to me (after I vented about how I was disappointed in myself and where I was in life), “Stephanie, what if all of your decisions and choices you have made (right or wrong) in your life have brought you to where you are today?” My first thought was, “that’s crazy.” It made no sense to me, because I was so disappointed in myself and my life… how could it be a possible? I truly felt that I should have been further down the road. I thought life should be better….and so on. Have you ever felt that way before?
Fast forward to this week…..my what if question showed up each day with love, encouragement and ‘I’ve got your back’ from friends who saw the best in me, and they wanted me to see it, too. I realized that I needed to take heed to this thought-provoking question because it was meant to guide me to look at my life through a different lens or perspective. Have you ever said something like, “this is not what I signed up for” or “how did I end up here?” Well, you may be at this wonderful place called “what if .” It is a mind shift to start seeing this from a mountaintop perspective and not from a defeated perspective. I know I have, and the view is awesome.
Trust the Process
So how do you get momentum in your “what if .” There will be many times in your life when you are doing what you know to do anticipating to see the results you were expecting. Right?
Think about the times you have used a GPS to help guide you to your destination. You plugged in your destination and let the GPS do the work for you. It routed you based on traffic, construction, and the quickest route. You may not have known all the routes it took you, but you had a gut feeling that you would end up at your destination. You trusted the process. My daughter is a college student. She is taking courses, and saving money so that in the end, she will have her degree. Her goal is for the degree to lead and open doors in the job market. She is trusting the process…. even if she is not a fan of some of her classes.
Trust the process within every decision you are contemplating, choices you are making, and steps you are taking. They are all working together to lead you to where you need to be…. whether it is for today, tomorrow or next month!
Harvest or Seeds
“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson
Finally, step back and see how you look at your harvest verses the seeds you are planting. I believe in having goals, aspirations and having a road map to life. However, if we judge every day by the results or harvest (seen or not seen), we may set ourselves up for disappointments in our decisions, our confidence and abilities, and in ourselves.
Think about the farmer. They plant the seeds in the correct season; they water and fertilize the seed, and then they let it grow. A lot of elements come against those seeds, but in due time, the farmer is anticipating a bumper crop. Let’s just pretend the farmer goes out each day after planting the seeds to look for the harvest. He will become disappointed if he doesn’t see the harvest right away. So, in his disappointment, he digs up the seeds and said, “it wasn’t meant to be.” Silly, yes! However, how many times do we do the same thing. We expect the harvest to happen right away and if it doesn’t, we can become discouraged and give up. I know, I am preaching to the choir here.
Instead, look at the seeds you are planting. Rejoice at the opportunities you have each day to get closer to your dreams and goals coming to fruition. Keep planting the seeds and the harvest will come in due time!
Remember my friend, you are one decision away from changing your life!
