What If It All Goes Right?

It has happened to me countless times, and probably happened to you as well. A major decision lies before you, and your mind goes to every possible negative outcome it can find.

“What if I make the wrong decision and everything goes terribly wrong?” you ponder. Your mind takes you to all sorts of dark places, unsettling outcomes, and negative possibilities.

What does this do to our decision-making ability? To begin with, it robs us of clarity. When we focus on the potential negatives, we have difficulty seeing the big picture. We hone in on the bad “what ifs,” and our minds become cloudy.

Further, it prevents us from having a balanced view of our decision’s impact. Dwelling on the negative potentials fills us with dread and can even lead to decision paralysis. Failing to make a decision at all is, in and of itself, a decision, right?

What if we reframe this process and ask ourselves, “What if it all goes right?” We should never ignore the potential downsides of a decision gone wrong, but starting with the positive can have a significant impact on how our minds view the stakes we are dealing with.

I read an article on this topic recently by writer and entrepreneur Josh Spector. He says, “It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking only about what might go wrong when you make a decision. You focus on what will happen if your decision fails and obsess over how that failure will feel.”

When we start by imagining what could go right with our decisions, those feelings of failure shift to feelings of success, power, and accomplishment. And we all know that positive feelings can impact how we view our circumstances, how we think, how we build relationships, and how we approach life in general.

Here’s a recap of Spector’s article:

1. Assume success, not failure.
2. Look for reasons you can, not reasons you can’t.
3. Trust you won’t fall off a cliff.
4. Believe in others.

How can focusing on the powerful possibilities instead of the potential problems impact a decision you need to make today? Drop me a note or comment below.