Pages

October 10, 2012

what if...?


Do you know that moment when you suddenly find yourself saying catch phrases you swore you’d never say?  Well that moment for me has well and truly arrived.  

I’ve come to accept the fact that yes, I’m one of those weirdos that talk to themselves in public (a discovery I made on the bus – embarrassing) and yes my age is all too apparent when I catch myself making comments on the ridiculous shortness of girl's skirts these days (am I 85?) but my favourite has to be my newly adopted catch phrase, 'there just isn’t enough time in the day' (said with an overly dramatic, heavy sigh).

Over the past few months I’ve repeated that sentence more than I wish to remember and while I tend to be slightly melodramatic at times, I do admit life has been a bit crazy lately. Not bad crazy, just whizzing by faster than I can grasp crazy. Know the feeling?  

I’ve had so many ideas and projects happening and bouncing around in my head that sometimes I keep myself up at night just thinking about stuff. Stupid stuff like Pinterest, remembering recipes I want to try, blog posts I want to write, contemplating growing out my fringe, design ideas to try (for the house I don’t own) and craft projects I won’t have time to complete. The list goes on. It’s a tough balancing act between complete exhilaration that comes from all of these ideas buzzing around and complete exhaustion just thinking about my growing wish list. Some days I want to work nonstop and other times I just want to shut it all out and slow down, enjoy the quiet. Am I the only one who sometimes feels like the treadmill is turned up too high? I feel torn between wanting to run faster and wanting to jump off.

I found myself asking ‘what if’ a lot this past week and it reminded me of a great post I read that mentioned that very question and encouraged writers, when feeling stuck, to ask themselves 'what if' to change their course of thinking and to encourage more meaningful writing. Inspired by that post I took on the challenge and randomly asked myself that very question and wrote down the first 5 that came to mind:

  • What if I read a book instead of watching Sons of Anarchy?
  • What If I didn’t hit snooze and went for a run instead like I always intend to do?
  • What if I stopped worrying about things that are out of my control?
  • What if I actually stopped talking about doing things and actually did them?
  • What if I ate fruit instead of Doritos?

The actual answers don't really matter but just taking the time to think about them, think about what is weighing heavily on my mind and allowing myself to feel both energised and exhausted with all that is happening in my head. It actually feels good to be busy, things will work out in the end just as they should. If only there was more time in the day...

What would your 5 "what if" questions be?

23 comments:

Sandra said...

Love this!

What if I stopped worrying about things out of my control?

What if I went to yoga class instead of watching Selling London on HGTV?

What if I cooked more on the weekends and had more leftovers for the week?

What if I had some babysitting once a week after school?

Loving BYW Bootcamp already...now that I'm back from celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, I can get into it with both feet!

Emily | Potter and Butler said...

Great question!

1. What if I said yes to the next great opportunity that scares me, rather than no?

2. What if I embraced the fullness of my unique way of perceiving and existing in this world?

3. What if I baked more - just because I love it.

4. What if, with each encounter, I chose to radiate kindness and love, rather than get lost in my thoughts over the exchange?

5. What if I greeted each day with a thought that puts me in a state of excitement/joy?

So glad I found your blog through BYW! Cheers!

Jenni (Museum Diary) said...

I agree, great question! What if I went to bed earlier instead of blogging until the middle of the night ;-)
Best wishes, Jenni (from BYW)

Jane said...

great post! what if there would be no what ifs? janie from byw

SharynB said...

Right now i truely have no "what ifs"
Is there something wrong with me?
Dropping by from BYW

Sarah York said...

Love this. Such a good thought provoker.
What if I turned off How I Met your Mother re-runs and did something productive?

What if I got up earlier everyday instead of waiting for the last moment?

What if I was fearless?

What if I stopped sabotaging myself with comparisons and doubt?

What if I stopped eating so much ice cream?

There are more (always, right?!) but these are some good places to start. :)

Anonymous said...

I have so many what if's in the past that I got completely overwhelmed and made myself stop saying these things... or so I thought! haha

My 5 what if's:

What if I go for a nice walk in the morning while curled up on sofa with a cuppa tea no matter the weather.

What if I didn't moved to the UK where would I be?

What if I just cleaned up straight away instead of waiting a couple of hours and force myself

What if I just had no cats, nah that is just not possible.

What if I could do the blogging as a day job and earn lots of money instead of going to a day job.

Susanne said...

Great thoughts!

My "what if" I ask myself nowadays is kind of my mantra..."what if I just be grateful today"...

Susanne from byw

Anonymous said...

Oh Jaclyn I love your post of What If's...

If I could empty this head of the what if's maybe I could fill it with more " I Will" "I Can" I Did" that would be so great.....

boot camp has been so much fun already...

kalanicut said...

Hi from BYW class. Oh how well I could relate to this post. In the funny ways and the more serious questions. There really is never enough time to do things I would love to do. I like your questions. I'm still asking and thinking about them.

Anonymous said...

My favorite part of the first lesson was the point made about blogging forcing accountability. Put your money where your mouth is, as they say. Wait, that's gross.
1. What if I didn't use the telephone to make dinner (happen) for a whole week?
2. What if I had to wear a uniform any time I was out in public and could only express my fashion sense at home?
3. What if we run out of gas - all of us, permanently. (that's gas for cars)
4. What if all the real money is in writing sonnets, and we all just forgot about them?
5. What if you just pick one and go with it?

Tina Ramchandani said...

Great post!! I find myself talking to myself at work and I usually say "okay...now what?" "um...wtf??" "what the hell was I doing??". Getting old! Yes, I also look at these little girls with short dresses and find myself saying out loud - "Aren't they cold? Do they know their dress is that short?".

What if I also woke up and went to the gym. I'd be skinnier and could wear those short dresses (ha!!!) I wouldn't. I swear. Just at home.

Evie said...

i love this post and feel like i hit this moment quite strongly about 12 months ago. i say no more often now (mostly without guilt) but say yes more often to the things i truly feel inspired by. i take 10 mins out of my morning to reflect / meditate... not sure i've got the hang of it yet but it gives stillness to my days...before i run out of time : ) if im thinking and feeling negative i stop and really ask myself why and the negativity dissipates. i guess my what-if's have lead me on a path of trying to live more consciously. so far im enjoying the journey.

Lena said...

I found you through byw - one of the best homework posts I´ve read so far! Food for thought. I´ll need some time to think of y "what ifs"... but I will!

Jacque Nodell said...

What if questions can be so "far-fetched" if you let them, but I think this exercise takes them down to a more practical level. Thanks for giving me something to think about. Nice photo, btw!!!

-Jacque (from BYW!)

Sam said...

Wow! What an inspiring post ... I hear you loud and clear.
Thank you!
Love,
Sam (BYW)

Corinne Korda said...

Great post and so true... To little hours a day and to many "ifs"...
And as far as starting to feel a bit old is concerned, that happened to me lately when coming through a beautiful picture of a 90ies supermodel on Pinterest and finding the caption that read "great vintage hat"...

Have a nice week-end!



Corinne (BYW)

Melanie said...

Awesome post!

What if I created rules for myself (time limits on Pinterest, only 1 or 2 browser tabs at a time, etc.) while I was WORKING online?

What if I spent just 20 minutes a day exercising?

What if I could resist my husband's baking?

What if I could be 100% present and focused on whatever I was doing at THAT moment?

What if I could time travel? Well, that would just be freaking cool. :)

xoxo

Lucy said...

Well, you've sparked quite the discussion! What if... is an interesting question. I also keep myself awake sometimes thinking about all sorts of inspiration, and I have finally worked out that if I actually get up and write it all down, 1) there aren't as many thoughts whirling around as I thought and 2) I can now go to sleep and wake up excited to read over the list!

dawn@joyfulscribblings said...

Love this topic. I too constantly have ideas swarming around in my head. It helps for me to write things on paper and make lists. I could so relate to your question what if I stopped talking about doing things and actually did them? Also, what if I stopped worrying about things out of my control? What if I stopped comparing myself to other people and spent more time being happy with who I am?
Looking forward to getting know you through BYW class.

Jasmin said...

So many questions, not enough time to answer them all.
Mine would probarly be:

Where do the little dusty fluffs come from even if I'm more in the office than @home?

Why is it sometimes easier to just copy sth instead of racking my bain of original ideas?

When will my neighbour move out of its flat so I can get more rest?

Why am I motivated while in the car, in bed, on the toilet...to do projects or clean etc. but has vanished when I have actually time to do something?

These are just a few that sprung to my mind...dreadful... will have a good thought about that later or when motivation strikes in again ;o)

janet kemp said...

Love this question......
What if I lived closer to my daughter?
What if I just never worried about anything ?
What if I, like the book Sue Townsend wrote, Went to bed for a year?
What if I had my youth over again......

Thanks for making me think a bit

cara menggugurkan hamil said...

now present in your city

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...