When you become too attached to your brand identity and persona, you risk shutting out other ideas because you believe your way of thinking, feeling, and acting is the only right way. Your mindset matters as your perceptions impact your ability to welcome new prospects.
As Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, “Man is affected not by events but by the view he takes of them.” This concept, coupled with the “Principle of Polarity,”—that everything exists in relationship to something else and on a continuum with endless points—empowers a different mode of thought where numerous interpretations and paradoxes can coexist.
The words you think internally and use externally influence what you see and experience. Embracing the question, “What if?” can help free you from becoming too attached to your beliefs and open you to multiple perspectives.
Elevate your vantage point.
Integrating “positive expectations” into your personal brand enables you to look toward the future with hope and believe that desired outcomes are attainable. From an emotional intelligence standpoint, optimism carries positive energy that helps you tap into a higher expression and push forward when facing an obstacle.
Actively seeking solutions to problems and taking action can enable you to work through issues, like letting go or reframing limiting beliefs that may be holding you back. Focusing on what you want to become and incorporating supportive language, such as “I am [fill in blank] and I’m not [fill in blank],” can help you experience things differently.
Expand your interpretation with “What If” visioning.
Furthermore, learning your Enneagram Core Type with its two adjacent “Wings” offers you a way to balance out your natural tendencies. For example, the Enneagram Type Sixes thinking mode tends to focus on what can go wrong in a project or situation. For them, integrating Enneagram Type Seven’s strength to consider future possibilities can offer Sixes a complementary perspective. Conversely, Enneagram Type Sevens, who typically ignore negative aspects, can lean into Type Sixes’ natural ability to see risk and balance their enthusiasm with potential threats.
Additionally, asking “What if?” is a powerful way to quiet inner critics and find new solutions. For example, answering the question, “What if…there was an easier way to do this?” reminds you that there may be several paths to realize specific outcomes.
To free yourself from single-minded thinking, here are five polarities where evaluating from both sides can expand your viewpoint.
#1 Possible and Impossible
Believing in yourself starts and ends with you, so embrace all aspects of who you are and treat yourself like a good friend. As Christoper Robin tells Winnie the Pooh in the classic film Pooh, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Additionally, when you feel stuck and that nothing is possible, remember Audrey Hepburn’s infamous quote, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible!’” and ask yourself, “What if X is possible?” To prepare for the flipside, reflect on “What if X isn’t possible?” keeping in mind that in-between options may exist, i.e., “What if a portion of X is possible?”
#2 Pros and Cons
Looking at the pros and cons can help you make informed decisions by considering each opportunity’s favorable and unfavorable aspects in a logical and objective manner. When evaluating, consider the impacts of acting on each possibility: “What are the pros and cons?” and “What are the consequences if I take action or don’t?” A methodical approach like this helps you to choose the better option by removing pressures and anxiety and replacing them with logic and evaluation.
#3 Best Case and Worst-Case Scenarios
Incorporating both best and worst-case scenario planning provides a structure for analyzing and making informed choices, such as assessing potential risks and preparing for potential obstacles. “Best Case Scenario Planning” is about detailing all the positive outcomes that could occur. For example, “What if everything works out the way I want?” Meanwhile, “Worst Case Scenario Planning” focuses on the worst things that could happen. “What if nothing goes as I want?” Documenting how you would proceed for both cases can help you think about how to progress forward regardless of the result.
#4 Objective and Subjective
The Myers-Briggs® “Zig Zag Process” is a type-based problem-solving approach that integrates objectivity and subjectivity. Specifically, the third preference pair, Judging Mental Functions, describes your preference regarding coming to closure about the information you’ve collected by weighing, evaluating, and deciding between options. You can make objective judgments by giving more weight to objective principles and impersonal facts (“Thinking Judgment”) or subjective judgments by giving more weight to personal and human concerns and people issues (“Feeling Judgment”). Incorporating both aspects ensures that your “What ifs…?” consider the systems/things and people impacted by the choice made.
#5 Yes and No
Prioritization is a process of organizing your commitments, tasks, and responsibilities in order of importance and in relation to timelines, due dates, and promises to others. A crucial component of prioritizing is understanding your wants and needs because when you say “Yes” to one item, you’re automatically demoting or saying “No” to something else. How and what you choose can get complicated as you navigate between your preferences and obligations. Asking yourself, “What if I say yes?” and “What if I say no?” can help you decipher what you value and need in alignment with your goals. Keep in mind there are alternative ways to say “Yes” or “No” as well, like “Yes, I can help. However, it will need to be next week after I complete X.” You’ll know when you’re in congruence with what you decide because you’ll feel inner peace, and your thoughts and actions will be aligned with what energizes you.
Harness your YOU-Ness.
Courage is facing difficulty, taking action, and persevering regardless of the situation. Balancing your perspective between various extremes can help you reframe and pivot.
As Eckhart Tolle affirmed, “All problems are illusions of the mind.” By staying in the present moment, you can avoid getting worked up about things outside your control. Contemplating both sides of a situation and in-between variations can also help you shift your mindset and transform your outlook so you can authentically connect with your personal brand.
Activate your best with those around you.
Self-leadership is about getting to know yourself better and applying that knowledge to how you interact with others. As a lifelong student, certified professional coach, and consultant, activating the best in others through self-leadership, interpersonal relations, and team dynamics are passions of mine. My approach is personalized and customized, tapping into various assessments, disciplines, modalities, and techniques. Also, check out my “Micro & Mini Service Offerings” and try one session to inspire you. Sign up solo or with another person or group to work on a specific exercise or activity and split the costs! Contact me to get started.