If I had a choice, I would have said no.
If I could turn back time, I would have done it differently.
If I had more time, I would have been able to come up with something better.
If I had been given the same guidance and support, I would have been able to outdo the other person.
If, if, if…. If only people would stop using the word “if”, life would be so much easier! Matter of fact is that most of us live in the unreal world of “ifs” and constantly ponder upon what could be. If you happen to be one of them - Wake up! All of us need to start realizing that what could be would always remain as what could be. In the real world which we all live in, “if” is an unreal word and the 2 letters – I and F would probably be better off as an acronym for “Ignorantly Foolish”.
Why “Ignorantly Foolish” one might ask? I have very little patience for those who has this noun as part of their daily vocabulary and I often hit myself each time I overuse this word. Being normal mortals, none of us could possibly control or determine the situations we are in and “if” is wishful thinking for those hoping for what could be. If we could all predict what is to happen, all of us would have been successful, multi-billionaires by now. There will be no beggars on the streets and every Tom, Dick and Harry would be living in a mansion and driving posh cars.
On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for individuals who often take tough situations and challenges into their stride and try their utmost best to make the most out of the less desired circumstances. This to me is the traits of an individual who deserves the finer things in life. These individuals are realists who live in the real world and are probably wise enough to know that whatever we hope and wish for would only happen if we were to work for it.
Recently, I was exposed to a phrase containing ten words with each word made up of only 2 letters. It might sound corny but I for one could not agree more with the phrase “If it is to be, it is up to me!” Simple as it might sound, this phrase is extremely powerful for it reinforces the power of each individual. More often that not, we would be blaming external conditions beyond our control whenever things do not fall into place. Little did we realize that why it turned out so was probably due to our own doings or “un-doings”.
If we had a choice, if we could turn back time, if we had more time and plenty other sentences starting with the word “if” are all statements made by people who probably did not realize that they did have the option in the first place. Despite being given a choice of yes or no, we could always come up with a third option had we thought about it. Separately, we could all have foresee what would be the outcome and consequences of a certain action had we spent a few minutes thinking about it before acting and this would then eliminate the need for us to turn back time. Finally, we all know that time is gold and there’s the famous saying that goes “time and tide waits for no man”. Our creators were extremely fair when creating us for each of us were given 24 hours a day – not a single second more and not a second less. If this fact is known to a 10 year old child, all of us should have been smart enough to plan our time accordingly instead of hoping for more time. Some “ignorantly foolish” individuals would instead put the request for more time on their Christmas wish list hoping that Santa would perhaps be kind enough one day to grant them a few additional minutes per day. Guess what? This will never happen, Of course, the exception would be a leap year whereby everyone would be granted an additional 24 hours in a year but that too is fair and everyone gets it.
Now that I’ve gone on and on in length about the word “if” which has probably appeared several times too many in the few paragraphs above, I shall draw down the curtains and leave with my parting thoughts. If only I could find the answer on how to anthropomorphize the word “if”, I would no longer be living in a world of “ifs”. Whilst I try to crack this, I would probably have to stick to the phrase containing ten words with 2 letters each. Funny thing is that phrase too starts with the letter “IF”!
If I could turn back time, I would have done it differently.
If I had more time, I would have been able to come up with something better.
If I had been given the same guidance and support, I would have been able to outdo the other person.
If, if, if…. If only people would stop using the word “if”, life would be so much easier! Matter of fact is that most of us live in the unreal world of “ifs” and constantly ponder upon what could be. If you happen to be one of them - Wake up! All of us need to start realizing that what could be would always remain as what could be. In the real world which we all live in, “if” is an unreal word and the 2 letters – I and F would probably be better off as an acronym for “Ignorantly Foolish”.
Why “Ignorantly Foolish” one might ask? I have very little patience for those who has this noun as part of their daily vocabulary and I often hit myself each time I overuse this word. Being normal mortals, none of us could possibly control or determine the situations we are in and “if” is wishful thinking for those hoping for what could be. If we could all predict what is to happen, all of us would have been successful, multi-billionaires by now. There will be no beggars on the streets and every Tom, Dick and Harry would be living in a mansion and driving posh cars.
On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for individuals who often take tough situations and challenges into their stride and try their utmost best to make the most out of the less desired circumstances. This to me is the traits of an individual who deserves the finer things in life. These individuals are realists who live in the real world and are probably wise enough to know that whatever we hope and wish for would only happen if we were to work for it.
Recently, I was exposed to a phrase containing ten words with each word made up of only 2 letters. It might sound corny but I for one could not agree more with the phrase “If it is to be, it is up to me!” Simple as it might sound, this phrase is extremely powerful for it reinforces the power of each individual. More often that not, we would be blaming external conditions beyond our control whenever things do not fall into place. Little did we realize that why it turned out so was probably due to our own doings or “un-doings”.
If we had a choice, if we could turn back time, if we had more time and plenty other sentences starting with the word “if” are all statements made by people who probably did not realize that they did have the option in the first place. Despite being given a choice of yes or no, we could always come up with a third option had we thought about it. Separately, we could all have foresee what would be the outcome and consequences of a certain action had we spent a few minutes thinking about it before acting and this would then eliminate the need for us to turn back time. Finally, we all know that time is gold and there’s the famous saying that goes “time and tide waits for no man”. Our creators were extremely fair when creating us for each of us were given 24 hours a day – not a single second more and not a second less. If this fact is known to a 10 year old child, all of us should have been smart enough to plan our time accordingly instead of hoping for more time. Some “ignorantly foolish” individuals would instead put the request for more time on their Christmas wish list hoping that Santa would perhaps be kind enough one day to grant them a few additional minutes per day. Guess what? This will never happen, Of course, the exception would be a leap year whereby everyone would be granted an additional 24 hours in a year but that too is fair and everyone gets it.
Now that I’ve gone on and on in length about the word “if” which has probably appeared several times too many in the few paragraphs above, I shall draw down the curtains and leave with my parting thoughts. If only I could find the answer on how to anthropomorphize the word “if”, I would no longer be living in a world of “ifs”. Whilst I try to crack this, I would probably have to stick to the phrase containing ten words with 2 letters each. Funny thing is that phrase too starts with the letter “IF”!
1 comment:
Why so much angst? The point is probably valid but hello, we all like to crib once in a while. Dont be so harsh :-)
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