Are you trapped in the “what if” cycle?

• By candidasullivan
• March 22, 2024
• No Comments

If you give me a second, I can imagine all kinds of worst-case scenarios. My mind loves to conjure up all sorts of doom and gloom. The longer I think about it, the more tragic it becomes—until I get thoroughly discouraged, stressed, overwhelmed, and terrified.

I’ve dealt with lots of tragedies in my mind that never actually happened.

So, if we create what-if scenarios, shouldn’t we imagine beautiful, inspiring, lovely things?

Before my Zippy book was published, I imagined holding it and reading it to kids. That’s while it was tucked safely in my drawer, never to be rejected again. I put it away because I couldn’t deal with any more rejection. But my heart still desired to publish it.

After months of imagined school visits, God sent the publisher to me. She even asked about Zippy because she had read about him in my other book. Shortly afterward, the Zippy Series was born. And the reality of a school visit was even better than I had imagined.

That lesson showed me that whatever we focus on will expand in our lives. When I focused on the rejections, I received even more. But when I redirected my mindset to being an author and sharing my books with kids, it all shifted inside me.

My what-ifs brought me joy and gave me hope. It allowed me to see the dream and believe it was possible. I saw myself living my best life and making a difference every day. And now, I get to live that life.

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