“What if?”
How many times have those two little words stopped you in your tracks? For me, they’ve been a near-constant companion, whispering both fear and possibility in my ear. When I bought the candle shop, I was surrounded by doubts, many of them not even my own. “What if it doesn’t work out?” was a question I heard more than once. It lingered, trying to poke holes in my dream.
And when I decided to launch Luba Libations, the “what ifs” came rushing back in waves.
“What if no one buys it?”
“What if people don’t like it?”
“What if I fail?”
Those doubts hit hard. I’d be lying if I said they didn’t. They made me hesitate, second-guess, and question myself in moments where I should’ve been celebrating. But then, in the swirl of uncertainty, I had an aha moment. I realized those whispers of doubt weren’t unique to me; they were part of a universal experience. Everyone hears them when they’re standing on the edge of something new.
That’s when I decided I wanted to flip the question. What if it works? What if it’s more beautiful, more meaningful, and more impactful than I could’ve imagined?
Recently, I came across a Cherokee legend that spoke to me so deeply in this moment of reflection:
An old Cherokee tells his grandson about a fight going on inside him. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson, wide-eyed, asks, “Which wolf will win?”
The grandfather replies simply, “The one you feed.”
And isn’t this the truth? Just as these two wolves are battling inside all of us, those same “what ifs” live there too. On one side are the negative what ifs that leave us feeling paralyzed with fear or self-doubt. On the other side are the hopeful what ifs brimming with possibility. Which ones win? The ones we choose to feed.
When we launched the Ukraine candle, I heard the old doubts again. “What if you don’t raise much money?” people asked. My answer was simple yet powerful: “Any money raised is money making a difference.” I chose to feed the hopeful wolf, the one that believed in impact and kindness over perfection.
Entrepreneurship, like life, is about these choices. It’s trusting your passion, taking risks, and meeting fear with resilience. But the wolves of doubt will always be nearby. That’s part of chasing something bigger. The key is feeding hope, courage, and the belief that your dreams matter.
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s this: far worse than the fear of failing is the regret of never trying. If you’re standing on the edge of a dream right now and the wolves are fighting, choose to feed the one that whispers, “What if it’s everything I hoped for and more?”
Here’s to flipping the script, feeding positivity, and chasing those dreams. You never know what could be waiting on the other side.
💛Christiana
