Hey, there...

I'm surprisingly terrible at chess.

Good chess players, I'm told, evaluate potential threats before making any moves.
They exercise caution.
Avoid unnecessary risks.
Predict consequences.

Well, I also do those things. Most of the time. About most everything.The difference between me and Magnus Carlsen (aside from a few dozen IQ points) is this: He actually makes moves. And I suspect he's able to do that because his version of "what if" looks quite quite different from mine.

My what-ifs are too often doom-and-gloom:
What if I can't write this thing?
What if my client's disappointed?
What if I don't get funding?
What if the doctor/dentist/HVAC tech find something horribly wrong?
What if I lose?

By contrast, I bet Magnus is all:
What if I do everything right today?
What if I win the most world championships ever?
What if I just keep winning until I have the longest undefeated streak in the history of forever?"

To be clear, I don't know the guy, and I could be super wrong about his self-talk. But I'm not wrong about this: Woohoo what-ifs are a helluva lot more productive than boohoo what-ifs.

Pep Talk #048: Flip the script.
The next time you catch yourself musing about all the things that could go south, see if you can change your mind.

What if they don't? What if they do.
What if I can't? What if I can.
What if it goes badly? What if it's the best thing ever?
What if I mess it up? What if I knock it out of the park?

This is important because the wrong kind of what-ifs can keep you stuck and sad. They can keep you from your ikigai—your reason for being. I'd hate that for you. And I'd hate it for our world, too.

What if it all works out?
Kelley

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