We’ve all dreamed, “What if.” “What if I left this job?” Or. “If only I’d invested in ___ ? “What if.”  So many possibilities. Just dreams? We’ll, maybe they don’t have to be.

Have you ever sat quietly by yourself wondering? “What if.” If you deepen your thoughts, you may hear faint little “whispers.”I call them “fireflies.” Calling you to heed thoughts about your future. These “what ifs” may be more within your reach than you think.

“Can you help me find, discover what’s next?” A perfectly honest question I get a lot. People I coach committed to their personal growth are always seeking their “next level.” They feel the urge to keep moving forward.

“I’ve got an itch, an inkling this isn’t my last step. It’s out there. We just need to go find it.”

Let’s look. Out there. What’s next for him among the myriad of possibilities. Whether it be a career change or a transformation to a vastly new life. As I was told decades ago… if your willing to dream and most importantly take a risk? “The world can be your oyster.”

So, on to a real life example.

This guy has a lot on his plate. Full career with a major, international company. Beautiful family; strong sense of self. He’s a horse. I love his spirit. How intentional he is about living. What can I do for him? Help him acknowledge the subtleties “whispering” to him amidst the flurry of his full, well lived life.

Now he’s a planner. Thinks methodically about his future. Unusual. But this provides exceptional opportunity for him to surface his “what ifs.” He tells me he has thoughts every once in a while. Even dreams about being out of the large company rat race. Running his own boutique consulting firm. “But this is really unrealistic.” he tells me. I tell him, “Let’s take a closer look at that. Think back. How many times have you entertained these thoughts? Are they becoming more vivid? Have you truly assessed the possibility of living your dream?”

In fact my friend has been drawn to these thoughts for years. Driven by the awkward politics and bureaucracy complicating his role in his current role as an advisor. It’s like a floating puzzle in his head. He’s never taken the time to bring the pieces together. I tell him, “Hypothetically, let’s pull these images down and put them on paper.”

He does and we pull the pieces together. Build a timeline, and a financial plan. How he might make connections that might lead him to materialize this more clearly.

I was watching Novak Djokovik last week accept this years Wimbledon trophy. “As a very young boy, my father put a tennis racket in my hands. Immediately I saw green grass. Little did I know that experience led me to this place. I was that young boy who dreamed of playing Wimbledon one day.” Novak had uncovered his life purpose  He was living his “what if.”

Both my friend and Novak Djokovic had uncovered what was already inside them. It wasn’t out there to be discovered and captured from afar. I remember working with fathers over the years who told sons what career they needed to pursue when graduating. “You need to ___. Only to find later their child was uncovering from within something totally different than what dad was asserting.

At some point in life, you want to identify your passion. When you do, life changes. However distant, difficult it may be to do so. Uncover what has already been planned for you. You don’t want to look back someday and regretfully say to yourself… “If only… what if?”