What if it doesn't work out? v. What if it does?

Flip the Script: A Series

One of the many things I admire about kids is the use of their imagination. They are not afraid to, and sometimes give no thought, to whether something is grounded in reality, efficiency, or logic. Their depth of experience is limited. While most adults consider that to be a hindrance and something to be fixed (myself included sometimes), it allows them to be less inhibited, more present, and less judgmental towards what is happening in life at any given moment. 

As adults we can spend a lot of time considering the “What ifs” from a negative standpoint. This is not something to be ashamed of but rather something to be aware of. While we like to rely on what we know there is equally great power in what we don’t. In my research on imagination (the irony is thick) I found that it is not isolated in our brains to things such as daydreaming, but that it brings with it the collection of our past experiences and mixes them together to help us picture what might be.

What happens, however, if we had a childhood that forced us to be more logical, obedient, and overly responsible, or even a participant in/ witness to something more traumatic? If we don’t have many positive experiences to pull from in our past, how can we imagine the future to be positive? 

Just like all the other topics in this Flip the Script series, I think there is a tangible way to turn this around. If we spend so much energy thinking about “What if it doesn’t work out?” then we can use that same energy to do the opposite, thinking: “What if it does work out?”

Our imagination is such a powerful tool because it actually causes the brain to respond in an almost identical fashion as if it happened in real life. This is the power of flipping the script! This is not magic, it is science. If we negatively anticipate, overanalyze, or overthink a thing we are already using our imagination - just not in a way that is beneficial to ourselves or others. Instead, we can use that same imagination to consider the potential positives that could come from the scenarios we are facing.

Since I was a teenager, I have struggled to speak up for myself and especially to have difficult conversations with people I care about. However, in the past year I have initiated  more than one difficult conversation. Historically, I would have been too focused on the possibility of an unwanted outcome, whether that be them having a negative response, changing the relationship indefinitely, or being misunderstood. While I still have to remind myself that I am only responsible for my part, I now have experience to go back to that gives me confidence and allows my imagination to think about “What if it does work out?”

If you are stuck in a negative thought cycle and want to learn more about how to Flip the Script in your life I would love to help! You can schedule a Free Consult today! 

Article reference: https://medium.com/firing-and-wiring/the-science-of-imagination-3a711f6cfa33