The Power of "What If"

This funny little phrase -- what if -- was brought to my attention yesterday in a conversation I was having with several other women in a forum. I say funny because it amazes me how those two little, seemingly innocuous, words can have so much power. Power for good or power for bad.

I've seen those two words launch some very big life adventures when someone used them to dare to dream. What if I really can do that? What if it is possible? What if I really can solve this problem? What if I can change this?

And I've seen them bring dreams to a crashing halt. What if everyone thinks I'm stupid for trying this? What if I trip and fall flat on my face in front of that audience? What if I make a fool of myself? What if this turns out to be a financial disaster? What if my husband or my kids hate me for making this choice? What if I fail?

Now obviously it's not the words themselves that are good or bad. It's how you choose to use them that makes all the difference in the world. One way is expanding, one is limiting. Like this...

Negative Use: You ask yourself "what if" to...feed your fears. Affirm your nay-sayers. Limit your perspective. Squash your dreams. Deny hope. Halt action. Turn a molehill problem into a mountain problem.

Positive Use: You ask yourself "what if" to...expand your horizons. Spark hope. Dream bigger. Empower action. Solve a problem. Open new possibilities.

So I"m curious...what is one "What If" question you can ask yourself today to jumpstart or reenergize your own next life adventure?