“If this were easy, what would it look like?”

This deceptively simple question has become a life raft when I am feeling tossed through the turbulent waves of growing an organization. It’s less about something being “easy” in the traditional sense of the word because doing meaningful and important work is rarely easy. For me, it’s about exploring alternate solutions and asking some follow up questions like, “Am I overcomplicating this? Who can I reach out to for help? What can I stop doing so I can create more ease in this situation?”

So, whenever the overwhelm of a never-ending to-do list seeps into my bones and my vision gets blurry with stress, I come back to this touchstone. Followed closely by its sister question:

What is the most important thing I can do, right now, to create more ease in the future? Then I stay open to what surfaces. It could be:

• Stepping away to recharge
• Swapping my to-do list for a done list
• Acknowledging that feeling overwhelmed is 100% normal. Growth is supposed to feel uncomfortable.

I discovered this question as Dana Buning and I planned the first Reality for a Better Reality project: filming our Peru Odyssey program. We had to figure out how to get a film crew of four (from three different countries) and a stack of camera equipment (almost big enough to fill the back of a pick-up truck) through Peruvian customs. In a particularly tangled pre-planning call about visas and equipment lists, Dana stopped and asked, “If this were easy, what would it look like?” It snapped us back from the cliff of overwhelm into creating an actionable strategy for moving the project forward.

So earlier this year – instead of just choosing my 3 words, I decided I would choose a question – to come back to like a mantra whenever I need it. Perhaps you might be facing some small or big challenges in your life and this question could serve you too.

If this were easy, what would it look like?

If you, or someone you know, has been impacted by cancer and you’re looking for an opportunity to expand your story, explore our programs and apply today. We are now accepting rolling applications for our Odyssey programs in South Africa, Peru, Costa Rica, and India. Join us as we #explorelifebeyondcancer.