Igrew up thinking that in order to be famous, great, or highly successful, I had to be either a) incredibly talented and gifted with my craft, or b) extremely hardworking to the point where obsession for greatness consumed my life.

我一直认为，成功，有影响力的人是自己的一类，这些生活是为“特殊少数人”保留的，他们的基因构成不同，从一开始就注定要伟大。

In other words, I didn’t believe I was meant to be great.

我什至开始之前就放弃了。

Whenever a spark of innovation hit me that gave me a chance to create something meaningful, it didn’t take long before the fear, doubt, and negativity crept in and shut the spark out. I would think to myself,“Who are you to think you can make a difference? Don’t be delusional — you’re a nobody. Don’t even bother trying.”Needless to say, the world did not seem like my oyster.

我害怕梦想大大，并说服自己，比带有良好好处的安全企业工作更雄心勃勃，这是一个不合理的，有风险的时髦梦。我的目标是平庸的，不是很令人兴奋，我将自己的生命和可能性置于限制的“盒子”。

Then, this one question shifted my mindset.

大约一年前，每当我遇到一个新的想法，思想或创新火花时，我都会有意识地提出这个问题：

Why not?

Having had enough of the pessimistic and limiting thought patterns throughout many years, I decided to challenge my disbelief and pessimism with a simple “why not?” directed to myself. Needless to say, this exercise essentially reshaped my outlook and attitude on what is possible versus what is not. In particular, it rewired my thoughts and beliefs in the 3 following ways:

1. I became more curious.

My mind was able to wander and dabble into different avenues and possibilities — possibilities of how my life could look and feel like if I took the reins of my own life. I felt the box of constraints and limitations I was trapped in not getting bigger but disappearing altogether.

I started to feel like a kid again, able to dream and learn about the world and all its possibilities. And I didn’t let my limiting beliefs stop myself from continuing this path of discovery. “Why not?” became my hall pass, my green light, my golden ticket to keep exploring, searching, and experimenting.

2. I started to gain more self-confidence.

I no longer believed that amazing feats could only be achieved by a select group of special individuals. I started believing that I, myself, was a special individual. I was able to start betting on myself as someone capable of achieving whatever I desired to create, solve, and master.

As I started asking “why not?” more frequently, it became much easier to get rid of the negativity, doubt, and cynicism that clouded over me. I was able to become my own cheerleader, motivational source, and hype man. My new thoughts shifted into different questions like:

• 我为什么不想做更多的事情？
• 为什么我不应该为更大的原因和目的而努力？
• Why can’t I pursue something I am truly proud of, rather than be envious of the people that are pursuing their passions?
• 为什么我不应该寻求一种对自己和他人深深充实，有意义和有价值的生活？

3. I began to appreciate myself exponentially more.

I was better able to see all my skills, accomplishments, quirks and talents that I already possessed in all their intricacies. I noticed more of what I already had, and focused less on what I was lacking.

我已经意识到，我没有给自己足够的荣誉，因为我所忍受的一切都能达到这一点，并且一直陷入了比较综合症。因此，通过问这个简单的问题“为什么不呢？”相信我的能力，我的心态从稀缺的心态转移了（I am not enough)to an abundance mindset(I am sufficient).

We have full control of our limiting mindset

I used to believe I wouldn’t mount to anything special because I convinced myself that I wasn’t smart, gifted, outgoing, or hard-working enough. Combined with self-doubt and fear of the unknown, I downplayed my passions and abilities, not allowing them to breathe or shine.

However, as soon as I started asking the question “Why not?” during times of doubt, my limiting mindset crumbled away and was replaced with possibilities, excitement, and hope.

We’re meant to be great and serve a purpose

I truly believe our lives are meant to be lived to its fullest potential, and that we are all capable of creating something of true value to ourselves and the world.

那你为什么不能呢？

Why not dream and envision how you want to live the next 5, 10, 20 years of your life with purpose and intention? Why not question the conventional life paths and assess what actually brings you joy? Why not take a second, third, fourth,nthlook into your passions and see how they can resonate and provide value to others? Why not try and see?

We owe it to ourselves to see what we’re made of — to see how far the rabbit hole goes. Why not start now?