Many businesses and workers are facing times of uncertainty. The business climate today is a testing ground for ideas. We all ask ourselves the key question which triggers any forward movement or holds us back from opportunities. We ask ourselves, “What if…?” Your thoughts will reveal whether you do business as a cynic or a winner.

You might be asking yourself questions that are focused on problems:

• What if I can’t find another job?

• What if I am not good enough?

• What if my luck in this business I found runs out fast?

• What if my idea fails?

• What if I keep losing customers?

It’s easy to think like a cynic. It’s the lazy way to exist. It takes zero creativity. If you believe business will be done the same way as it always has been, then your strategy to doing business relies heavily on hope, which is a poor strategy. The world around you changes fast. The rules keep changing. Your challenge today is far different than what the old economy required.

We need less good boys and girls and more creative trailblazers. You have all the tools and resources you need to be successful. But you must ask the right, “What if?” questions. Take note of the ideas that abound.

Here are the thinking patterns of the winners I enjoy collaborating with in business:

• What if we can make it easier and simpler?

• What if I invested in my business further?

• What if we could find a new market for what we can do?

• What if younger people have the answers?

• What if we could stop making chaos an excuse for not executing?

Playing to win requires a fully engaged mind. The exhilaration of creating and problem solving is risky, but rewarding. Asking the right set of “What if” questions and implementing new ideas will put you in the middle of the game of prosperity and opportunity. Align your thinking, yourself,and your company to this habit of creativity and problem solving.

Here’s a parting question, “What if you became a better knowledge worker?” Would this be more valuable for your customers, and in turn, help grow your business? An intentional response to that question may change your reality quickly. Go to zeroinbox.com to take a next step.