Why Not?

When I started this blog earlier this year, I decided to name it “What If” to capture a theme I see as woven through many areas of my professional life. Today, however, I consider a related two-word question… “why not?”

First, I admit that I appreciate the implied optimism in the phrase and perhaps even the mild defiance inherent in posing such a question. It suggests that we can see the way something is at this moment, but we believe it can be different – and hopefully better – if we were to only do something other than what has been done up to now. It suggests that there may be a better idea and why don’t we go explore it.

How often do you find yourself asking these types of questions? Do you wonder why does something has to be the way that it is? Or what if we tried something different? Where might that lead?

In our busy lives, it is quite understandable that we don’t always pause and consider these things, but there is so much power and potential if we do. Even if our ideas don’t pan out, the simple act of questioning and allowing our imaginations to be exercised is a very empowering activity. By questioning – though not necessarily criticizing – something, we become more engaged, especially if we can think deeply about a topic.

I recall one time I was working with a team on this project and we hit a pretty big obstacle. No one was sure how we would get around it and pretty much all of us were focused on why we couldn’t overcome it. That is, until we asked the “why not” question. We talked through the facts of the situation and started to really ask ourselves if what we thought about these hard stops were really the case. And – to our mutual surprise – we started to see a way past the issue. Yes, we had to flex in an unexpected way and we needed to get buy-in from our leadership, but by asking the “why not” question, we opened our eyes to new and different possibilities including the one that got us past our no-longer-insurmountable obstacle.

My suggestion for you is to start to carve out a few minutes from your schedule and look at something around you that catches your attention. It might be something simple like how a room organized, or the way meetings are run or even how you help your kids with their homework. Then consider whatever this thing is before you and start to think about ways it might be changed and improved. Next, challenge your idea by asking the “why not” questions and see how you might address any issues you come up with.

At a minimum, doing this may prove to be an engaging mental exercise that gets your creative juices flowing. But you also might come up with an exciting new approach that revolutionizes some part of your world. And it all starts with just asking a simple two word question.

Know that I’m pulling for you!