The “What if?” factor

“What if?” — two of the most powerful words in the English language.

They can be both your motive power and your barrier.

They open the world of possibilities, but open also doubts.

“What if I get this fantastic new job?”

“What if I bomb the interview?”

“What if my boss recognizes all the work that I put in on this project?”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“What if I could have a job that didn’t feel like a job?”

“What if I spend the rest of my work life here, in this exact chair?”

So much of my work is helping people focus on the right “What ifs.”  I ask, what if you could spring out of bed each morning excited to tackle the day?  (Or, if you’re like me, be up writing this in the wee hours and almost not feel tired because you’re charged up about what you’re doing?)  What if success came easy?  What if workplace politics didn’t matter, or better yet didn’t exist?  What if you had complete control over your career destiny?

The picture that these questions generate is something we can all get on board with.

Of course, the other side of the “What if?” equation usually rears its ugly head.  And it’s almost always the same:

What if I fail?

And so I ask you — what if you fail?

And the answer is almost always that you’ll be exactly where you are now.  And since you’ve been doing that this long, it can’t be that bad, can it?

Or can it?

photo credit: tj scenes

Related posts:

1. Are you the phoenix? Coping with career challenges
2. Job search over 50: Unique challenges, unique opportunities
3. Your personal “best”: Authenticity and your job search
4. Personal power and leadership: The Obama factor
5. Is Your Success Undermining Your Dreams?

Tagged as: Career, doubts, dreams, goals, ideas, job change, job hunt, job search, job seekers, mission, motivation, motive power, new job, passion, possibilities, power, success, transition, workplace politics