Flipping the Script: The Power of "What If?"
I look at this feather here and I see beyond the initially pleasing beading of little water droplets on its surface. Intricate, delicate, and yet, it possesses a waterproofing so sophisticated that it would make Barbour—an iconic leading brand of waterproof clothing—jealous.
Then, the question that keeps playing on my mind this week props up again.
It’s the "What if?" question.
“What if each of these little water droplets contained an entire universe in and of itself?”
For a moment, my mind boggles. I play with the imagery of me as a giant, and this tiny droplet as a microscopic ecosystem buzzing with life—a mini Planet Earth.
In a world where our "What ifs" are so often dominated by a negativity bias—where our minds rush to fill in the blanks with the worst-case scenario—it feels incredibly refreshing to flip that human survival trait on its head. What happens when we go glass-fully-full with the question?
What if I open up my mind to the possibility that I am supported in life?
What if it all went right?
What if I couldn’t fail?
What if I stopped wasting my energy on worrying about things going wrong and actually trusted that things will work out?
What if challenge is just learning, information, and growth?
What if I drop the need to survive and put my energy into the desire to thrive?
The possibilities are endless. That is exactly why I absolutely love this question. It challenges our own narratives in a playful, non-judgemental, innocent sort of way. It puts a question mark next to the stories we create about ourselves, our bodies, our brains, our lives, and our relationships.
Taking Curiosity into My Classes
I took this exact inspiration into my teaching this week. In my Community Nature Therapy sessions, I asked participants to consider a shift in perspective: What if gravity is more than just a physical force? What if gravity is the cosmic mother hugging us to the heart of the earth?
I brought it into my Corporate Workplace Yoga sessions too: What if this practice of yoga could connect you back to your true north?
There is so much unfolding in the world of science that shows us, time and time again, that this incredible planet we live on and the incredible body we get to call home are full of "What ifs." Concepts that seem like facts to us now would have been entirely unfathomable 100 years ago.
Take the "Wood Wide Web" for example. Science has revealed that beneath the forest floor lies an immense, intricate network of fungal threads known as mycelium. This isn't just random mold; it's a highly sophisticated, symbiotic relationship where trees and fungi rely on one another to survive and thrive.
The fungi weave into the tree roots, offering a lifeline of water and essential nutrients from deep within the soil. In return, the trees feed the fungi with the carbon and sugars they create through photosynthesis. It is a beautiful, silent partnership built entirely on mutual support. What if the trees are actively talking to, feeding, and sheltering one another beneath our feet through this living internet?
Sparked by Storytelling
The catalyst for this newly ignited curiosity comes from a particularly inspiring children’s author, Katherine Rundell. I recently had the absolute pleasure of seeing her speak with my boys at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Reading her books with my eldest son has completely reignited my fascination with storytelling, adventure, intrigue, peril, and fantasy. "What if" is the key ingredient to each of her captivating novels.
During the festival, she put a "what if" question to the audience, and one of the children suggested an alternate world where the roles of humans and dogs were reversed. She laughed and shared a story about her own Labrador, jokingly pointing out that while he has the soulful mind of a poet or an academic, he also can't resist eating sheep poo—making for a hilariously conflicted human character if he were to ever end up in a book! It was a brilliant reminder that imagination doesn't have boundaries.
Your Turn to Flip the Blank
Inspiration truly comes from the most unexpected places. What if we choose to always stay curious, compassionate, and creative? What if you found awe in even the most mundane areas of your daily routine?
Let's practice flipping the script together today.
Ask yourself: "What if… [fill in the blank]?"
Drop your thoughts in the comments below and share what reveals itself to you today. I would absolutely love to know!
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