“Life is not just about the good things or not just about the bad things. It is both. It all depends where you focus your attention.” ― Ann Marie Aguilar

Before we even embark a new goal or journey, we imagine a potential outcome. Dreams quickly get extinguished by excuses, or we get our hopes up so high that we feel ashamed when we don’t get our ideas off the ground.

In order to really evaluate your goals and focus on decision-making, there are a couple important questions we should ask ourselves:

1. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

   This “worst thing” can be quite frightening. We are programmed to think about it to help us stay clear of an extremely risky or dangerous situation. At the same time, we don’t want to think about this question for too long. If we let the answer brew inside our heads, we’ll give up on every dream we can think of. All dreams have setbacks, but it’s important to know what they are. Other times, the setback might not be that bad. What’s the worst thing that can happen if you ask your boss for a raise or ask a crush for their number? You might get rejected and experience some temporary setbacks, but don’t beat yourself up about this. Who knows, you might even get the results you were looking for. That’s why there is another question we should ask.

2. What’s the best thing that can happen?

   If we are constantly thinking about the worst thing that can happen, we never think about the best thing that can happen. Having this idea in mind is important as it can spark the initial surge of motivation we need to get going. Once the best potential outcome is in mind, we can use that as a vision that we are trying to make a reality. This provides the framework we need to build our success on.

Weighing out these options is an important exercise, that gives us a better perspective on our possibilities. If the worst thing that could happen isn’t that bad, why not go for it? What’s there to lose, and what’s there to gain? What’re the chances of the worst potential outcome actually coming true?

After asking these questions and embarking on an adventure, you might find yourself between the worst and the best scenario. Once you reach this step, you are already on your way to success because you have done something that most people are too afraid to ever do: try. Trying is what makes it happen, and helps you work your way up to the best potential outcome that you are seeking. If you find the worst potential outcome too devastating, see if there is a way to craft a safety net to prevent yourself from getting too close to that situation. You could also start over from the drawing board, and come up with a new plan. Once you get a taste of the best situation, and your efforts pay off, you’ll be handsomely rewarded for the risk.

Try it out today, after all, what’s the worst, and best, that could happen?

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