Do you have a lot of 'what if's? So do I.
If you do so too, keep reading this ...
I have a lot of 'what if's". In fact, I'm quite nearly finished with my second book entitled: "What If...". Yep. That's it. "What if...." Here's why I began this particular essay~ First of all, more often than not, when 'grown-ups' use the phrase 'what if', it comes with a very negative connotation. Example: 'what if the house burns down?' or 'what if I get sick?' or 'what if I lose my job?' On and on we go, 'what-iffing' ourselves into a frenzy over the ugly and terrifying possibilities that await us, but always in the most dire way, NOT in a thrilling way. Example #2: when kids say 'what if', they're almost always really excited about their wonderings. 'what if we meet Mickey Mouse IN PERSON???' or 'what if we get to see a whale today?' or (my personal favorite) 'what if I actually get to SEE Santa when he comes down the chimney????!!!!' Their 'what-ifs' are full of fantastic possibility, not dread or fear. It's awesome to hear them come up with new ones. Makes my heart sing every single time. That is, if the child hasn't learned the 'grown-up' version yet. That's where we come in.
I have always known that fear is a learned emotion. When we have a particular fear, be it of dogs or water or spiders, etc., we TEACH that fear to our children by sheer emotional display. We don't even have to use words. All we have to do is BE scared and they pick it up. Like the brilliant little sponges they are, they can sense when Mom is afraid, and even if it's a ridiculous fear, they don't question it. They just know that Mom's afraid so they should be too. Same goes with the whole health thing. You tell your kids, "you're going to catch your death if you don't put on a hat!" or "if you don't eat your vegetables, you're going to get sick". Know what? You're right. Every single time. Because if you believe it, and they believe YOU, then they're going to believe that whatever you tell them is going to happen, will happen. Ever think about that?
So, what if....when we use the phrase 'what if', we take a child's perspective instead? What if we were to look at the EXCITING, unlimited possibilites from a really thrilling perspective rather than one of doom? What if we should begin to expect that what may come is better than what is? How do you suppose your life would be different if you did this? Do you think you might begin to see all sorts of miracles, magick, new beginnings? If you actually expected the 'good stuff' instead of the worst, do you suppose it would manifest into more good stuff arriving in your world? I think it's something we all could benefit from. I think that if we were to begin asking 'what if' with the same anticipation that children have, we would also begin to find those 'miracles' showing up more often than not. And I think that the moment we let go of all those fearful 'what ifs', that's when they all fade away, never to be seen again. We don't give them our attention, they don't show up.
It's really not as silly as it may sound. In fact, I've noticed the difference in my life since I've changed my attitude toward the 'what-ifs'. And I can tell you this ~ it's a whole lot more fun doing it the child's way than it is the 'grown-up' way. Plus, you have the added benefit of allowing your imagination to work FOR you instead of against you. Either way, whatever you're thinking...the 'what if' is going to show up sooner or later. Why not take the fun road?
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