What Is the Worst Thing That Could Happen?


Everyone makes bad choices in life sometimes. But there is a way to stop making bad choices. Always start your decision-making process with the question, "Whats the worst thing that could happen if I take that action?" 

Explore All Alternatives

When you ask yourself the question about what the worst thing that can happen is, explore every single alternative. Answer that question for each way that you can accomplish the task or do the thing that youre choosing. For example, if youre trying to choose whether to quit your job to start a business, write down the answer for both quitting and not quitting so that you can explore all your options. 

How Will You Feel If You Do Nothing?

What if you did nothing and everything stayed just like it is right now? What is the worst thing that can happen if you make that choice? Writing that down is also crucial because there are often severe consequences for maintaining the status quo. For example, if you are exploring whether to get the surgery that your doctor recommended, whats the worst that can happen if you do nothing, get the surgery, or choose another alternative? 

Write Down the "What-Ifs"

For each decision point along the way for any one choice, there are many different reactions to it that occur. Writing down all the what-ifs that you can think of can help you explore potential alternatives, as well as drill down your decision point. For example, if youre trying to choose whether to speak at that famous and popular event 90 days from now, what are all the things that can happen if you do it and mess it up, do it and do it well, or dont do it at all? 

Look at Your History 

One way to make good choices about things that matter is to look at your history to see if you can learn from a similar decision you made. For example, if you did speak at an event last year and you did horribly, why would you do it again? Well, there are numerous reasons. Maybe you joined Toast Masters to help prevent another lousy showing, and now youre ready? 

Know Who You Are

When you are trying to be courageous, its essential to know what you stand for, what your values are, and who you are. Ensure that no contradictions or hypocrisies are getting in your way of success. 

Do Your Due Diligence 

Research every single path that you can take well. Dont take an offer without knowing for sure whether its a good one or not. Its not as scary making choices when you have done the homework needed to ensure your facts are right.

Is the Fear Really Protecting You?

Also, when you are feeling fear about anything, it helps to determine if that fear is really helpful or not. Its not actually beneficial to be fearful of public speaking if you want to be a CEO or CFO of a company, since that often comes with speaking publicly. But, a healthy fear of sharks is a good thing if you plan to swim with them. 

The critical fact to know is that the worst thing rarely happens. Study the situation so that you know the real risk that you face when you decide on a course of action. When you know the facts, its easier to move forward in the conviction that youre doing the right thing. Because for the most part, the reactions will not be a surprise to you. 





