Shifting Out of Impossible

Big Dreams

Each of us, at some point in our lives, has dreamed of being someone special, somebody important. Who among us hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning home run? Or being the homecoming queen? Or striking it rich, being successful, or happy? Everyone dreams big dreams and has some great aspirations. Sadly, for most, dreams remain just that – dreams. And the aspirations of youth easily collect dust in the attic or corners of our hearts and minds. This is indeed a sad turn of events in the lives of many. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, people get caught up in the humdrum and doldrums of living from day-to-day and just getting by.

But, life could be so much different than that, if only you learn to aim higher. The most common obstacle most people face in setting goals is the word “impossible”. They often get hung up thinking, “I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It is just too impossible. No one can do this.” But, if everyone thought that way all of the time, there would be no more inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

On the other hand, there are some people who suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and but never take the important step of acting on them. What’s the result? The results are broken dreams, and tattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you now deem as impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without ever taking any concrete steps toward your goal, you will find yourself barely clinging to your “impossible dream”.

Let Us Shift

Here is an exercise for you to try to see if you can get some momentum going. Yes, if you’ve read this blog on any consistent basis, you know this will involve writing things down. Sorry, that’s how I roll…

Get a single piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Make 3 columns.

The first column should be titled, ‘Things I know I can do’.
The second column is ‘Things I might be able to do.’
And the third, ‘Things that are impossible for me to do.’

Now, look at each of these columns. Every day you should work toward accomplishing the goals that are in column #1, ‘Things I know you can do’. Check them off as soon as you have been able to accomplish them.

As you are able to slowly check off all of your goals under that heading, try moving to column 2 and accomplishing the goals you have placed under ‘Things I might be able to do.’

Then as the items that you have written in the ‘Things I know you can do’ are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you accomplish more of the goals in this 2^nd category, you will begin to notice a shift in your thinking. A new level of energy will come with your sense of accomplishment. Part of the shift is that you have subconsciously raised the bar for yourself on what you can actually get done.

As you work through this process, you will find out that many, if not most, of the goals you thought were unlikely have suddenly become easier to accomplish. And what once seemed absolutely impossible, doesn’t seem so impossible after all.

Almost Unlimited Potential

You see, the reason that this technique can work for you is that you do not have to limit your imagination. You can aim high, and start working toward those goals little by little. Aim high, but always be realistic with your expectations. What do I mean? I will use myself as an example. It would be foolish of me to write down that I want to be a world class left-handed bowler. I am mature in age, can function ambidextrously, but am predominantly right-handed, have had rotator cuff surgery (twice), am no longer really interested in bowling or getting sports trophies. So you can see, that even if I held this as a goal, it is not a physical possibility. Not to mention, it isn’t an interest, so my motivation to pursue it would be difficult, at best to sustain.

Work Is Required

Those who just dream toward a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned. On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If you had told them that you could send mail from here to the other side of the world in a matter of seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now every-day realities that we don’t give much thought to.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or her dreams there has to be work and discipline. But it is important to note that the 1% part needs to be a BIG dream, and not some easily accomplished one. Don’t short-change yourself by setting the bar too low.

Ask anyone who spends a lot of time at the gym, and they will tell you that there can be no gains unless you work a little outside of your comfort zone each time. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That really just about sums it up.

Dream Bigger!

So keep dreaming! Don’t get blocked by your perceived notions of your limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you move up the ladder of progress, you will continue to see that the impossible will continue to become a little bit more possible with each step.