Lately, I have found myself thinking about two simple words:
What if?
Most of us use those words when we worry about the future.
What if I fail?
What if it doesn’t work?
What if things change?
But what if we asked those questions differently?
What if we asked them after something was gone?
What if we looked around at the people, organizations, opportunities, and moments in our lives and considered what their absence would mean before they disappeared?
Too often, we don’t fully appreciate something until it is no longer there.
A friendship.
A trusted colleague.
A mentor.
A career opportunity.
A community.
Even a routine that once felt ordinary.
We become accustomed to their presence. We assume they will always be there. We postpone conversations, delay involvement, and tell ourselves there will be time later.
Then one day, there isn’t.
The reality is that life can change overnight.
The job you love today may not be there tomorrow.
The person you count on may no longer be part of your daily life.
The opportunities you assumed would always be available may suddenly disappear.
And when they do, we often find ourselves asking questions we wish we had asked sooner.
What if I had invested more?
What if I had shown more appreciation?
What if I had become more engaged?
What if I had stopped waiting?
These questions aren’t meant to create regret. They are meant to create action.
Professionally, what if the resources you rely on suddenly vanished?
What if the connections you’ve built were no longer available?
What if the educational programs, networking opportunities, and industry relationships you depend on ceased to exist?
For those of us involved with SLC3, it’s worth considering.
What if there was no SLC3 tomorrow?
Would you notice its absence?
Would you miss the education, leadership development, and resources it provides?
Would you miss the relationships you’ve built through its programs and events?
Would you wish you had attended one more event, joined one more committee, volunteered one more time, or reached out to one more member?
Would you realize how unique this organization is only after it was gone?
The truth is that organizations like SLC3 don’t exist by being an afterthought, by a great leader, as a given, or because of amazing branding.
They exist because people choose to engage.
They exist because members show up.
They exist because leaders invest.
They exist because a community decides that what it provides is worth sustaining.
The same principle applies to our personal lives.
How many relationships deserve a phone call today?
How many opportunities deserve our attention?
How many people deserve our gratitude?
How many dreams deserve another attempt?
What if we stopped waiting for the perfect moment?
What if we stopped assuming there will always be more time?
What if we stopped putting off the things that matter most?
Because the reality is that tomorrow is not guaranteed.
The people in our lives are not guaranteed.
The opportunities before us are not guaranteed.
The organizations that strengthen our communities are not guaranteed.
So perhaps the most important “what if” isn’t about fear at all.
Perhaps it is this:
What if tomorrow everything changed?
And if that happened, what would you wish you had done differently today?
Maybe that’s the question worth answering before we have to ask it.
