What If

“If you can...” ― Rudyard Kipling

Have you ever asked yourself: "What if?"

The retrospective question in which professors Jeremy Black and Donald MacRaild defined as: "It is, at the very root, the idea of conjecturing on what did not happen, or what might have happened, in order to understand what did happen."

It is when we take a look at our life, history or other incidents and try to determine how things may have been different should something different had occurred at that point in time.

What if Germany had won the war for Europe?
-- Would world events have unfolded as they did?

What if we never embarked on a race to the moon?
-- Would we be probing Mars today with robotic machines?

What if I had decided to attend a different college?
-- Would I have achieved the same great life I have today?

What if, what if, what if could be asked over and over again. It could be used to bemoan the condition we find ourselves in today. We might even be able to find an excuse for not having achieved or possibly attribute to our achievements.

Either way, to question what if is to live in the past of our choices. That would mean we are allowing our past to control our present and our future. We have a tendency to define ourselves and our future self by the past. The choices we made created certain outcomes and we believe the choices create a determined destiny.

The good news is that the present provides us with the ability to create new choices. New choices that can set us on something new, something better. Maybe what we should be doing is asking the "what if" question in the context of where we are here and now.

What if I apply more time to my college studies?
-- Will I achieve better grades and subsequently a better job?

What if I worked harder at my marriage or being a better father?
-- Will I achieve a more solid relationship and happier home?

What if I simply chose to be a better person to others?
-- Will I achieve a more peaceful and happy life?

What if can be a powerful thing to ask oneself. It can change your opportunities, it can change your life.

Stay inspired my friends!