What Would You Do If You Couldn’t Fail?
Let’s play a game. It’s called: “What would you do if you couldn’t fail?”
Great question and great game, right? Especially for the dreamers among us (or the dreamer-curious amount us)!
The Lottery Game
Sometimes people play a form of this game, but they do it in the context of winning the lottery:
- IF I won the lottery, what would I do?
- IF I won the lottery, would I quit my job tomorrow?
- IF I won the lottery, what would I buy?
- IF I won the lottery, where would I vacation?
- IF I won the lottery, who would I become?
The thought process is attached to winning the lottery because people assume the thing that is holding them back is money. Certainly money may play a role in why they are not doing what they are dreaming of, but why does one have to win the lottery to obtain the required finances? The problem with this form of the game is that you assume that you can NEVER do, have, or be what you dream of UNLESS you win the lottery, which is essentially impossible and completely random.
If you believe that what holds you back is money, and the only way to get the money you need is to hit a completely random lottery, then there is a good chance that those thoughts are indeed only wishes. You are too stuck on reality and practicality to connect with it emotionally.
But…what if a slight mental shift with this game could actually put you on the path of making these dreams come true?
The Right Way to Play the Game
Play the game WITHOUT the lottery contingency! Simply ask yourself, “What would I do if I couldn’t fail?”. Play the game this way:
- IF I couldn’t fail, what would I do?
- IF I couldn’t fail, would I quit my job tomorrow?
- IF I couldn’t fail, what would I buy?
- IF I couldn’t fail, where would I vacation?
- IF I couldn’t fail, who would I become?
When you ask yourself the questions that way, and you really explore it emotionally without the contingencies of finances or failure, it can do wonders for your mindset, and for your actual direction. It gives you permission to dream! It let’s you put yourself in a position where you don’t have to worry about:
- the mortgage
- the neighbors
- what others think of you
- the outcomes
When you just say, “Man, what would I be doing if I couldn’t fail?, it takes away all of the fear from the mental exercise. And when you do that, it can show you the path on which you can start taking action, even if the fear of that action is real.
Focus on What YOU Can Control
Here’s why that slight shift in the game is so powerful: your success or failure is ultimately under your control. If you continue to focus on the WHY behind your answers, then you connect with it emotionally without the contingency of finances or failure. When you connect with it emotionally, you can see yourself there, and then your mind can start to actually make the plans!
Ultimately, it’s taking action that makes it happen. If you focus on what YOU can control, which is the plan and the action to be taken, then you keep the mind headed in the right direction. Money is just a resource, and not the goal, nor the reason why you are not doing the things of which you dream.
What It’s Done for Me
I remember when I was a younger adult, I had actually come to the conclusion that this type of question was useless. In my desire to remain “practical”, and in the mire of my “average thinking”, I would have never allowed myself the indulgence of this thought experiment. And to make it worse, I’d play the “wrong” form of the game around the water cooler at the office. What an idiot I was! What an average thinker I was.
When I started playing the game the right way, I realized many things, one of which was that I wanted to make a positive impact on people. I wanted to be known for helping people. In addition, I always wanted to write and have a web presence. Guess what? This blog and this website and all of the video and sharing I do on Facebook are a direct result of playing that game, and then taking action. If I hadn’t had the mindset shift on HOW to play that game correctly, I likely would never had taken any action and I would still be wishing.
Conclusion
So play that game today, and every day. Ask yourself, “What would I do if I couldn’t fail?”. Regardless of whether or not you ever act on the thoughts (but you should), its still an awesome exercise. It’s optimistic, it’s energy-inducing, and its just plain fun.
