"If"

"If" is used when making a decision or in preparation for what is to come.
Example - "What if I make a career change?"

"If" is also used when questioning the present situation or a past choice.
Example - "What if I went to school abroad instead of staying at home?"

"If" is used in these two very distinct ways. In the first example, a person is planning for the future, preparing him or herself for what will happen. The second example shows how a person is wondering about how life could have been had he or she taken a different route.

Consider this: Is it more worthwhile to question how things are going to be, or how things were already done? Of which should you focus more or less?