Our minds are very powerful. It can create worlds, lives, worries, and more. My mind used to be filled with, “What ifs?”

What if I fail?

What if I get hurt?

What if it all falls apart?

What if I’m making the wrong decision?

What if? What if? What if?

I would spend hours in the cycle of what if… However, I never once asked myself, “What if it all works out?”

What if I succeed?

What if I get everything you wanted?

What if I’m making the best decision?

When I started to ask myself these questions, I realized that fear was holding me back. I was fearful to hope for or dream about the future. In a way, thinking about the worst case scenarios was comfortable, and it was also a defense mechanism. If I never hoped or thought of the best case scenarios, I would never be disappointed.

If I considered and worried about all the things that could go wrong, I would never be surprised when things actually went wrong. Each time I failed at something or I quit, I was proving myself right in some way. I was also preparing myself for failure and disappointment.

This type of thinking had me feeling stuck and unhappy with my life. I never dared to wish for anything or create goals. Even if I did create a goal or a plan, I would find ways to poke holes in it or I would not fully commit. I was afraid of change and getting the things that I wanted that I would self-sabotage in order to stay in the same place.

When I finally started to confront the fears I had, I realized that my biggest fear was trying my best and failing anyway. The more I thought about that fear, the more I realized that when I try my best, I have already succeeded. All of the effort I have put into a project, a plan, or a goal, will never be in vain.

For example, let’s say that I started working out in order to lose weight. My goal is to lose 10 pounds in 3 months. After 3 months, I’ve lost 8 pounds. I could look at this as a failure since I didn’t reach my initial goal, or I could look at all the things that I have achieved along the way. Maybe I can now run a mile in 8 minutes, and I get 9 hours of sleep. All of the other benefits that come with 3 months of exercising still count as winning!

I might not have achieved my ultimate goal, but I achieved and gained a lot more than expected. Also, I am only 2 pounds away! I can still achieve my goal — it will just take more time than expected.

Confronting my fears and shifting my perspective helped me start looking forward to and focusing on the outcomes that I wanted. I was no longer expecting the worst. I started to hope for and visualize the best possible outcomes.

I started to ask myself, “What if it all works out?”

This simple question has spurred me on to keep pushing forward when I’m feeling discouraged. Personally, I realized that when my dreams happen and I achieve my goals, I want to be prepared. I want to be ready for the good that is to come. I don’t want to miss it by worrying or focusing on other things. I remind myself that everything I am doing now is preparing and helping future me.

All the seeds I am planting today will bear fruit in the future.

I prepare by taking care of the seeds I’ve planted and focusing on the outcomes I want to achieve. I no longer use my energy on worrying about the worst outcomes. I use my energy to set myself up for success.

Keep planting seeds. Keep going. Keep affirming yourself. Keep showing up. And eventually, you’ll start to notice all the fruits of your dedication.

Maybe in your search for your dream job, you’ve bettered your interviewing skills or picked up other new skills. Maybe in your journey towards publishing a book, you’ve perfected your craft or have found joy in writing again.

There is a lot to gain on the journey towards your goals and dreams! However, you might miss all there is to learn and take in by worrying and overthinking. If you’re like the old me, you might not even start.

So I encourage you to ask yourself today, “What if it all works out?”

Really envision what that would mean and what that would look like, and then start to go after it. You might end up with something better than you had hoped and planned for. Whatever your goal is, I know that, you got this!