phenomena Archives - Rachel What If

The What-If List 2025

Let me explain why I created a what-if list instead of traditional goals – and why it might work better for fellow goal-setting avoiders.

An aversion to Goal Setting

As a former teacher turned instructional coach, I’m well-versed in SMART goals and their effectiveness. But let’s be honest – they’re about as exciting as those PLCs we all love to attend at 3pm, looking for cookies in the lounge to keep us awake.

These days, I’m more of a systems girl (thanks, James Clear). I’ve built habits that work, making traditional goal-setting feel like writing a grocery list of things I’m already buying.

Then comes January – gray, cold, and convincing me the sun has permanently ghosted my vitamin D-deprived skin. Cue the self-improvement podcast binge.

So here’s my compromise: I’m keeping my working systems (because they work), but I’m scratching that self-improvement itch differently this year. Forget goals – let’s talk about what-ifs.

Why What-If?

Last year, one of my friends called me an ask-hole, and it was one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.

In case your not twenty, an ask-hole is one of those people who keeps their hand up after the meeting time has ended, and prevents you from being able to escape, for eternity.

Asking questions is my calling card. You may notice the very name of my website is itself, a question. Meta.

Before you go pegging me as one of those dreadful types, I prefer to keep my what-if lenses rose colored. What-if’s can have a dark side, but those rarely lead to interesting solutions or creative new ideas.

The following are examples of regular What-If questions that randomly raise their hand in the meetings of my mind:

What if dinosaurs still lived in a swamp in Africa?
What if aliens landed in my backyard and wanted to hang out with me?
What if I have a magical talent, but no one could see it but me?

While the possibility of aliens choosing me out of 7 billion people feels exciting, I’m smart enough to know that I need to keep this within my sphere of control, so I ruled out any What-Ifs that would rely on other people, or aliens.

To take it to the next level of believability, I added the things I would have to believe and the skills I would need to develop to make these things a reality.

On to the list!

THE What-If List 2025!

What if I complete the first draft of my fiction novel by June of 2025?

What would I have to believe?

I will have to believe that writing fiction is actually more fun than it is hard.
I will have to believe that I am a creative person.
I will have to believe that as long as I sit down to write, the story will make its way onto the page.

What skills will I have to develop?

Remain consistent, writing at least 200 words every day until June.

What if I became so literate in AI that I could solve problems easily, and focus on elevating human skills as a thing of value?

What would I have to believe?

I will have to believe that I can learn AI in a way that is fun and purposeful.
I will have to believe that I can find AI tools that are built for solving the specific problems that I face.
I will have to believe that AI is going to change how we all work in positive ways.

What skills will I have to develop?

Learn which AI tools already exist and how they are solving problems similar to my own.
Practice using the AI tools in order to curate my favorites, while exploring new features.

What if I participated in a community of educational professionals working to make positive change in education at the policy level?

What will I have to believe?

I will have to believe that my unique perspectives and experiences are enough.
I will have to believe that I deserve a seat at the table.
I will have to believe that positive changes can be made in education at the policy level.

What skills will I have to develop?

Attend local meet-ups and events where I can network with local educators.
Participate in conversations on LinkedIn or other online forums with people who are already working to make changes.
Share insights and resources on this platform and grow my audience.

What if I started a podcast that was all about what-if questions, where I could talk about that time I really thought aliens did land in my backyard?

What will I have to believe?

I will have to believe that other people will want to listen to my crazy ideas.
I will have to believe that it is another way to build my platform and my creativity.
I will have to believe that it will be a fun way to learn and develop my skills.

What skills will I have to develop?

Learn how to podcast.
Ask other people to be on it.
Create a list of topics to talk about and a format for each episode.

How to Create Your Own What-If List

Step 1: Dream big. Try to imagine anything and everything that could possibly happen. If you can’t think of anything, get on social media. You will have a list of crazy things faster than you can say “Bigfoot made friends with my cat.”

Step 2: Narrow it down. Keep the funny ones for inspiration, but put them somewhere that you can look at them fondly, when you are procrastinating what you are actually supposed to be doing to make your what-ifs a reality.

Step 3: Dig deep. What are you going to have to believe about yourself and others to make your what-if possible? Be specific about the skills you need to develop in order to make the list easy.

Long Live the Snow Day!

Did you know there are people in the world who have never experienced a snow day? They live in Arizona and I can’t help but feel so sad for them.

It’s difficult to describe the feeling of waking up to fresh piles of snow, especially on a school day, and waiting for the call. The call that gives you permission to stay in your pajamas, make a big breakfast, and stare out the window at the gift of time – the snow day.

How to Get a Snow Day

Most people believe snow days come to us by luck, coincidence, or even prayer. But as the ancient Roman philosopher says…

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Seneca

To prepare properly and invite the several inches of snow needed to call off the school day, I advise the following steps to be performed in order.

On a Sunday night before bed, put your pajamas on inside out.
Next, take a bucket of ice and pour it into your toilet.
Tap the side of the toilet bowl with a spoon.

Remember, this is only going to work if there is an opportunity for precipitation in the forecast. Also, it really helps to be in an area cold enough to support the snow. We are looking for a little luck, maybe even a dash of magic, not a miracle.

What to do on a Snow Day

Now that you have your snow day, you’ve had your breakfast, and you’ve stared out the window in utter satisfaction, get outside. You really never know how long it will last and you can bet a snowplow is most likely on its way. is urgency in getting to the freshies with your rail sled, or just any old sled, or skis, or snowshoes before it melts or before that pesky snowplow.

A rail sled is my choice as it has the potential to take you as far as you want to go with just a little grade and the perfect conditions. The true power of a rails sled lies in testing just how far you can ride it. Every trip down the hill stretches just a little farther than the last.

Will Snow Days be a Thing of the Past?

It’s up to us to preserve the magic of a snow day. I hope it doesn’t become a story we tell our kids about the old days, before this thing we call remote learning stole our chances for more play and less work.

We cannot let snow accumulation overnight go unnoticed and uncelebrated!

Long live the snow day! I hope you will stand with me in preserving this celebration of a generous gift of moisture. We must honor the tradition and ignore the urge to continue with business as usual.

The next time there is a hint of snow in the forecast, I’ll be wearing my PJs inside out. Will you?

A Skeptic’s Guide to a Transcendent Weekend in Sedona, AZ

According to visitsedona.com, “Sedona has the ability to transform lives.” Having visited recently with my mom and sisters, I don’t know that my life has been transformed, however, we did experience a bit of transcendence.

Now hold on, before you assume that we were running around naked, chanting around a bonfire, or sitting on mats in true yogi form, lets define transcendence. It’s just a word that means beyond the normal, or average ordinary experience.

The Descent into Transcendence

While driving through Oak Creek Canyon, into Sedona, I remember being so inspired that I was actually talking to myself, out loud…alone… in my car. The drop into the canyon is unexpected,and the scenery dramatically changes from the generally flat, desert terrain of the Colorado plateau to the steep red rock canyons. The creek is shaded with lush cottonwood, maple, and willow trees, which are a rare treat for us South westerners. This makes for a “beyond normal” experience, while the curving road offers opportunities for discoveries around every bend.

Paddle boarding, Hiking, and Biking

Sedona is like Disney World for outdoor enthusiasts. There is no way you could do it all in a weekend. My sister booked the perfect house for us to stay that comfortably fit all of us. There was even a trail that began right in our driveway.

Our first day, we decided to look for nearby paddleboarding, which actually ended up being about a 30-45 minute drive. Well worth it for us because this was a big reason for our get together. This area is hard to find, so check out this site for more info.

From desert to jungle? Paddle boarding is scarce, but we found it.

The second day of our trip, we wanted to hit Slide Rock State Park, which is one of Travel Channel’s top ten swimming holes. It was so crowded we couldn’t park anywhere within a mile walking distance to the entrance. We decided instead on a hike recommended by our house hosts called “The Crack.” The info we found claimed it was only about a 3.5 mile hike one way, but it still took us at least an hour and a half to get there. The swimming hole was absolutely breathtaking!

We also managed to find the time to do a loop on our bikes on the Bell Rock Pathway .

The Bell Rock Pathway was perfect riding for us. We like to think we are a little more than beginning riders.

Finding Transcendence in the Vortex

All of us are constantly searching for our needs to be met in various ways. While preparing to become a teacher, I studied Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how it applies to children and adults. I love the the way this theory neatly organizes and explains human behavior. I’d like to think that our girls trip was so fulfilling because it met our needs at every level. Of course our sense of belonging being the biggest chunk. What is even more interesting, is that Maslow later added transcendence to the top of the pyramid. He explained, ” A person is motivated by values which transcend beyond the personal self.”

Having never heard of such things as vortexes, (vortices?) we had no idea that our girls trip would be smack dab in the center of one. Maybe there is a little truth to Sedona’s claim to changing lives. Turns out, we were filling each other’s need to laugh, connect, and support each other. We transcended our every day lives by being together.

Vortex or not, we were inspired by the beauty of the earth and the connections of our hearts. We were recharged by challenging ourselves in physical adventures, or relaxing on our deck together. We were uplifted by each other’s love and support, and the majestic views. If you get the chance to go, don’t expect to be transformed. Instead, look for opportunities of transcendence.

The changing seasons in Southern Colorado remind me I am not invisible.

When the leaves change in Southern Colorado, the display of colors kind of demand your attention. Fall is beautiful, but, for me, it has a way of bringing with it feelings of loneliness, and somehow I start to feel a little bit invisible. I’m sure it has to do with how busy my family gets in the back to school, back to sports, back to business as usual, that I start to actually mourn the loss of our carefree summer months. This year, I’m getting a very clear message to pay attention, and that I have a whole lot in common with a leaf.

Yellow is my favorite

Did you know when leaves change from green to yellow, orange, or red, those colors were actually there all along? The leaves themselves are not actually changing, it’s their environment that is. The days are shorter and colder, which forces the plant to stop making chlorophyll. This causes the green to disappear, allowing the other colors to become visible. The most vivid and common color: yellow.

Yellow has always been my favorite color. It’s so cheerful and sunny. It’s not all loud and energetic like red. I do like green as well, which reminds me of abundance and life. Sometimes, I feel other colors, or want to love them, but yellow has always been what I most identify with.

Not invisible, just hidden

So you see, like those leaves, I have discovered that I am not invisible. It’s okay to be all covered up in green for a while. As I said before, I like green. I love my life and am so abundantly blessed. What I am trying to say here is that I believe fall is happening just for me this year. Sorry everyone else. When you look out at the landscape, what is the color you see most? Yellow. I kinda feel bad too, because Summer has always been my favorite season and truthfully it always will be. But this year, I’m getting a great big hug from fall. It feels so good.

Fall canyon
Molli with fish!
He let me have this one.

It seems extra important during the changing seasons to get outside and experience it. Why else do people jump in huge leaf piles but to get the season literally all over them? Mostly, I wrote this post so I could show off my pictures of us getting outside to get fall all over us. However, I have been feeling a little invisible lately, and not in the way that would be awesome if you were a super hero. I hope fall is happening just for you this year too. I also hope you know you are not invisible either! (Unless you really want to be 🙂

Jason, on the bridge to the Silverton cabin.
My dog Blue

As always, thanks for reading and for your awesome support.

Rachel

Why having a mascot makes a “Big Impact”

What if Bigfoot is real? I know, I know. Stay with me here. For years I have used Bigfoot as a symbol of my philosophy on life: We don’t know everything. Thank goodness! How boring would life be if there was nothing left to discover? How awesome it is to be wrong sometimes. How fun it is to believe there is something mysterious to discover.

nature walking animal strong — Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com

I did my college exhibition on Bigfoot upon completion of my coursework to earn my degree in elementary education. I loved how symbolic and outside the norm this idea was. I dressed up in Sasquatch hunting gear and put together a slideshow (which didn’t work) to demonstrate how passionate some people can be about hunting for Bigfoot. I likened it to teaching in that I wanted to make a “big” impact on the lives of my students, and inspire them to do the same for others. I wanted them to feel a sense of adventure in my class, and to provide “evidence” of their learning along the way. Finally, I explained how scientist are still discovering thousands, yes, thousands, of new species each year!

Now, in my fourth year of teaching, having Bigfoot as a mascot in my classroom each year has provided just what I was hoping it would, and then some. My students feel that they belong to a group that is represented by a mysterious, maybe not so mythical, creature. It has helped create community, but also has inspired them to believe that there is still so much to discover in the world, and beyond. And, its fun. Learning is fun. I hope we all can remember or discover for the first time how fun it is to learn. This is why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place, because I am a learner. I need to learn in order to thrive.

I guess I hope that no one ever truly discovers a Bigfoot. How awful that would be to end this hunt. To conquer a mystery is exciting, but short lived. What if we just let it be and unsolved mystery? Its way more fun to ask questions than to answer them.

Is blogging the foundation for great storytelling?

What if the universe really is sending us hints or messages and we call it coincidence?

I decided to start a blog as a way to get ideas out in a digital way. Because, ya know, what if I decide to write a book someday? One of the very first steps was to create a name for the site. It is a lot of pressure to come up with a name that captures your personality, your blog content, your ideas, etc. Especially when all I was focused on was just setting up a blog and not really creating any content.

In order to avoid a road block to the daunting task of blogging, I started to think about what I could name the site. I had recently been to a professional development for teachers where the concept of “what if” came up. What if the problem presented to students could be changed in some small way after they had solved it? How would this change our perspective? How does this change the way we think? For some reason this stuck with me.

It hit me again while trying to think of a name for this site. The words “what if” actually do describe my personality and the way I constantly think. It keeps me creative and hopeful. I hate to think that there is only one way, or that the world really is what we think it is.

Back to this idea of coincidence. Today, I needed to search for some resources to help teach my 4th graders how to be good storytellers. I came across an excellent resource that I thought was only for math and science: Khan Academy. One of the courses they offer is led by Pixar story artists! (Is it weird I had just bought Salman Khan’s book The One World Schoolhouse? I’ve never even looked at his site before.)

Stick with me, it gets even better. The second or third lesson offered in the story telling course on Kahn Academy is called “What if…” Pixar uses what if statements as the foundation for great stories. Connection: What if this blog is the foundation for my great storytelling? I’m tearing up now just putting this all together. So to answer my what if question for today: I choose to believe that universe, God, greater good is mindful of me and guiding me to take action on my dreams. I’m excited for many more what ifs to come.

Here is a link to Khan Academy’s site:

Khan Academy Story Telling

What if this is a mental workout?

Ya know how you go to the gym and try all the machines, or run around the track, or go to a class and wonder, “Am I doing this right?”

Maybe you totally have it figured out, but most people are still looking for the “right” fitness plan that will help them feel stronger, look better, and boost their confidence. I speak from about 20 years of experience, teaching fitness classes, running hundreds of races, meditation practices, and of course eating the perfect balance of macros.

I will always do those things. They are critical to my success physically and mentally. I have recently discovered they are not enough. I am using this blog as a place to sort out the thousands of thoughts that run through my head every day. I am using it as a place to get a great workout developing a healthy writing habit.

If you are still reading this, I hope you will consider joining me on this mental fitness journey. I will share what is working, what is a really bad idea (but still worth sharing because it’s funny), and hopefully some content you could use to build your own mental stamina, strength, and overall feel goodness.

Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com