Member-only story
A Question That Offers Instant Perspective: ‘What if It’s Easy?’
Ask it whenever a task in front of you feels insurmountable
How will I handle that uncomfortable conversation? How will I get all this work done? How will I show up as the parent my kid needs?
Whenever a task in front of me seems insurmountable and I feel myself becoming more and more stressed, I’ll ask myself a question that immediately calms me: What if it’s easy?
For some reason, considering this possibility knocks me off the struggle bus and drops me back into the realm of control. Suddenly, I’m thinking, “Huh. Right. It might be easy.” And I’ll proceed to act as though it is.
Just the other day, noticing that the gutter above our garage door was overstuffed with leaves, I felt that familiar sense of dread. “Ugh, when am I going to get around to this awful chore?” I wondered. Right then, I caught myself and asked, “Wait, what if it’s easy?” I instantly felt a mental shift. “You know what?” I thought. “It is easy. I’m just telling myself it’s hard.” I then grabbed the ladder and unclogged the downspout, which was kind of enjoyable, actually. (That “sploosh” sound — it’s so gratifying.)
Does asking myself the question solve the problem in front of me? Of course not. But neither does presuming…
