Asking What-if Questions
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
In her book, Take Your Soul to Work, Erica Brown speaks to great leaders of the power of ‘what-ifs’: “You cannot be a leader and not ask what-if questions. They often form the core of personal and organizational vision and offer strategic possibilities. They can unfold the future.” They can be sources of torment or the inspiration of possibilities undreamed. They can be new lenses through which one may find a greater understanding and joy of life and the world. They can be magnificent moments of pause and reflection. Brown suggests some what-if thoughts:
“What if you were to write an ad for the story of your life? Would it be full of hype or hope?
“What if hurting, leaving and ending are just mirror images of healing, arriving and starting?
“What if your thoughts and values suddenly appeared as pictures all over your body? Would you stay inside or go to the beach?
What are the what-if questions in your life? What could be their magnificent impact to open your life and world to new possibilities? What if today you lived more, laughed more and loved more? What if you asked not “what if I fall”, rather, “what if I fly?” What if you choose every day to be more than you ever dreamed you could be? What if you choose to help someone else be more than they ever dreamed they could be?
May your ‘what-ifs’ fill your life with endless possibilities for growth, joy and happiness. Remember that ‘what-ifs’are beginnings only. Their reality rests in their execution. Be bold and purposeful so that your what ifs become what are.
Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!
Mike
