What if I were aware of those who pass my way who are lonely? What would I do? Would I keep walking and ignore them? Or, would I offer a friendly greeting? According to researchers 58% of Americans feel that no one really knows them. And, 30% of older adults consider themselves lonely. Loneliness is not listed as a disease, yet, loneliness is linked to an early death, depression, poor sleep among others. What if we stepped out of our comfort zone and made a lonely person feel not so alone? A simple greeting can turn a person’s life around.
what if
What if I slowed my pace of living by ten percent?
What if I slowed my pace of living by ten percent? That’s not a real big change. I’d find time to chat with friends. I wouldn’t speed up to get to the next light. The time wouldn’t control me. I’d feel the rhythm of the day and move with it. I believe I’ll sleep better, my disposition will improve, and I’ll find time to be grateful for the day’s gifts.
What If . . .
What if I won the lottery? How many folks have thought about that question? It’s why state sponsored lotteries are big money makers. They operate successfully on our dreams. Yet, the chances of winning the top prize in the lottery are slim. One time I was traveling and the woman sitting next to me on the flight told me her husband won the Texas state lottery for twenty million dollars. He died shortly after that and now she was traveling to all the places they talked about seeing. I wondered if it were possible, would she exchange the twenty million for the life of her husband. The bible offers this advice, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is your treasure (lottery)?
What If . . .
What if I thought of self-imposed limitations as fake news or illusions? Most of our limitations are self-imposed. I’ve witnessed double leg amputees running. I’ve seen videos of a one handed baseball pitcher making the major leagues. There are countless examples of people who refused to believe in limitations. They saw them for what they are, fake news, illusions. Is it time to make a list of the self-imposed limitations you’ve placed on yourself? Is it time to discard them and free yourself to fly and reach your full potential?
What If . . .
What if I regained the curiosity of a child? If were to regain the curiosity of a young child, my creativity would know no bounds. I’d take chances and become an explorer of all that piques my interest. Fear would take second place to the possibilities of finding something new. We can’t turn the clock back, however, we can fan the embers of our curiosity and discover more fully the amazing world of which we a part.
What If . . .
What if I didn’t let the news stick in my brain today? There’s infinitely more good news than there is bad news. Good news doesn’t sell. Bad news grabs our attention. It pokes at our instincts to survive. Reports of crime far out weigh the reports of kind acts. Yet, I’d speculate kind acts far exceed criminal acts. If I don’t allow myself to get hooked into the bad news, I’ve an opportunity to smile more, laugh, and spontaneously break out into song for no reason other than to sing.
What If . . .
What if I decided that for today I would not talk about myself, I’d just listen? Did I say OUCH? We like to express our thoughts, tell about our experiences, and reminisce. I recall a funny scene when my dad and my father-in-law were sitting in the living room. My dad was telling my father-in-law about his golf game. My father-in-law was talking about fishing. Both were talking about their experiences, yet, neither one was listening to the other. Afterward, both my dad and father-in-law told me how much they enjoyed speaking to each other. Each of us is filled to overflowing with a desire to express the stuff that makes up our lives. It’s hard when no one is willing to listen. I think I’ll make it a listening day and give some friends a chance to empty their bucket.
What If . . .
What if I let go of all the fears that are holding me back from racing toward my dreams? I’ve met many folks who let go of their great dreams and spent most of their time creating great excuses as to why they didn’t chase them. One person told me he lived in the most beautiful part of the world, he couldn’t leave it. Another told me, he could have had his dream but he didn’t have the support to chase it. Another told me, it was too hard. Excuses, all of them. We can never reach our full potential or dreams until we let go of our fears, excuses, and created barriers. Is it time to let go of everything holding you back and racing full speed toward the destiny you were born to reach?
What If . . .
What if I stopped catastrophizing? It’s easy to imagine the worse. We are bombarded with bad news throughout the day. Political parties catastrophize the impact of the other party taking power. The news outlets increase their readership with doomsday reporting. It’s no wonder we often think of the worse possible outcomes. We don’t have to think this way. We can flip the script. When we catch ourselves castrophizing, we can tell ourselves, “there you go again, what if it is a great outcome, what would that look like.” Try it, it works.
What If . . .
What if you dared to ask, ‘why not?” You’d quickly change the conversation. Some will take offense that you dared challenge the status quo. Others will stop and think and begin to look for solutions. When I was young our Sunday meal was always macaroni and meatballs with chunks of pepperoni cooked in the sauce. It smelled wonderful as it cooked all morning on the stove top. I still recall the taste. No one thought of asking why not have something different That is, no one thought of asking why not have something else until my dad needed a triple by-pass and the doctor told him to change his diet. Why not is a good question to periodically ask. It forces us to challenge our fixed way of thinking.
