I was given a really valuable piece of advice this week and it’s sat with me every day since I heard it.
I might be bold enough to say, it’s changed my perspective on life.
The simple phrase that now has me beating to a new drum is … “what’s the BEST that could happen?”.
I love that!
I feel for so long I would approach things with the attitude, “sure I’ll give it a try, what’s the WORST that could happen?”. And then I would analyze every possible thing that could go wrong and obsess over the ‘what ifs’ before I had even had a chance to do the thing.
You know what I mean right?
Like starting off at a new gym and thinking, “sure I will give it a go, what’s the WORST that could happen?”. And then I would question everything from what if the program’s too hard, what if I can’t do it, what if everyone is fitter than me, what if everyone laughs behind my back, what if I faint or throw up, what if I fail…
And then nine chances out of ten I would get myself so worked up that I’d chicken out and not do the thing.
But what if we flip it?
“What’s the BEST that could happen?”.
I could get stronger.
I could make new friends.
I could learn new things.
I could be really great at it.
I could find a new passion.
I could succeed.
I think this one simple catch phrase is really powerful as it proves that mindset matters.
What we tell ourselves matters.
And when we constantly look for the bad in things we will find them.
But when we search for the GOOD in things, we will find them too.
It just depends how you look at it.
One person might see a cup as half empty and ask for a refill, another might see it as half full and not ask for a top up until they reach the bottom.
It’s all about perspective.
I think so many of us live with limiting beliefs, myself included, that we often doubt ourselves OUT of things without even giving ourselves a chance to DO the things.
Like that feeling of doing something that we’ve analyzed to death only to discover that we really enjoyed it.
You’ve been there right? In that feeling of doing something you’ve dreaded and then laughing after its done realizing that it wasn’t so bad.
You talk it up so badly in your mind that you get yourself terrified.
Like tasting a new dish filled with a vegetable you think you loathe but have never tried and then realizing how yummy it is. Yep.
Like wearing a new hairstyle after reluctantly being prompted by your stylist only to be given more compliments than you ever imagined. Yep.
Like lacing up a pair of skates and loving the high from whirling around the rink and realizing that even when you fall, it’s not that bad. Yep.
It’s human nature to worry because as a species we are always looking for threats and trying to keep ourselves alive.
It’s what humans do. We look for the WORST in things.
But what about looking for the BEST in things?
What about listing off all the BEST things that could happen and letting our minds roll in that direction.
Imagine all of the things we would try, the things we would do, the choices we would make if we lived this way?
I like the possibilities of looking on the bright side and I’m gonna roll with that cause what’s the BEST that could happen? I might just make my life a whole lot better.
We’ve Got This!
@half_full_most_days