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Popular ArticlesThe Impossible Exercise
Do you think you have impossible dreams? If so, try this exercise: Take a piece of paper and write down some of your dreams in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’. Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ And under one more heading, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you to do.’
Each day from now on look at all the headers and strive every day to accomplish the dreams that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them off when you have accomplished them.
As you slowly are able to check all of your dreams under that heading, try accomplishing the dreams under the other header – the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’
As the items you wrote under things I might be able to do are accomplished, move them to the list of things that you know you can do.
As that list becomes smaller move the dreams that are under things that are ‘impossible for you to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’
As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the dreams you thought were impossible become increasingly easier to accomplish. And the impossible begin to seem possible after all.
You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, dream big, and start working towards that goal little by little.
Also, one of the major side effects of this little exercise is that not only do you find yourself accomplishing more of the most cherished and long valued dreams that you have had throughout your life, but you find an increase in your faith, and confidence in your own abilities to accomplish – even the impossible.
So go out there and make the impossible possible.
Impossible is Just a Word
Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, something big.
What guy hasn’t fantasized about being the one who hits the game-winning home run? What girl hasn’t dreamed of being the homecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, or successful, or happy with our relationships?
We dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, too often our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easily become faint memories in the past.
It is truly a sad story – instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in the humdrum of living from day-to-day and just barely existing.
You know what? I used to be there. I lived there. And I have a feeling that you are familiar with it all too well. Life could be so much better, if only . . .
If only we learned to aim higher.
The most common problem to achieving our dreams is the word “impossible”. Like me, most people get hung up thinking they can’t do whatever is set before them. It’s too hard. It’s too impossible. No one can do it.
However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment. But thank goodness for the creators who have created these wonderful things that have changed and blessed our lives. Thank goodness indeed!
Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for the bumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble bee no one has told it so. So it flies anyways.
On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? 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 deem impossible. If you reach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, you will find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.
Those who just dream towards 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 few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind. But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams are now realities.
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 had work and discipline. But take note that that 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplished one.
Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying, “No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.
So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you step up the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that the impossible has just become a little bit more possible.
What Is Your Destination?
“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.”
-Theodore Hesburgh
There is a well known proverb that says, “Where there is no vision the people parish” (Proverbs 29:18) This is true.
Start on a trip without a destination and you will never know if you arrive, because you don’t know where you are going. There has to be a destination, some place that you are trying to get to. Wandering aimlessly will lead to aimless discoveries and locations.
Too often people live this way. They never chart a course, look at a map and much less never know if they are even heading in the right direction. They say they know where they want to go and what they want to do with their lives but they have no idea where they are headed.
Creators start at the end. They ask the vital question, “What do I want to create?”
Most of the time we go through life as if we have been given a car and told to drive down the freeway of life with no particular destination in mind. The signs let us know an exit is coming up soon, and we must make a choice, “Do I stay on the freeway or do I take the exit?” When we feel a need – hunger, pain, thirst, etc. – we turn off looking for relief. We make a choice. Once we are satisfied we usually get back on the freeway driving aimlessly in no particular direction.
Many of us stay on the freeway of life because it’s the easiest; society hands us a set of keys and tells us to go for a drive. We may not have anywhere special to go but parents and peers expect us to take our place on the freeway. So, we just keep driving until we have to make another choice out of need.
Creators start with their destination fully locking in their mind. It may be across the mountains where there are no roads. If that’s the case, they get rid of the car and get a mule or start walking. If it’s on the other side of a lake, they find a boat. The process becomes dependent upon the desired destination.
The destination is the creation. The true creator knows what they want to create and they set out to create it.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” -The Koran
In order to create you must have a destination, a vision of where you want to be when you finally get there. Even though great artists’ works sometimes look like they just threw the pain on the canvas, and many times that is just what they did.
World famous Jackson Pollock is a good example of this (Look Above). But the absolute truth is he never did it without calculations. It was purposeful and in a destination of his vision. He set out to make a painting look a certain way or represent a certain feeling or emotion, or elicit a purposeful response, or was designed to generate many different responses – but that was the vision in the very first place – not aimless wandering, or aimless splattering of color on a canvas.
If you don’t know what outcome you want, or even a slight idea, how can you possibly know what to do or how to do it to generate any outcome that would be valuable or important to you as the creator.
Creators create creations of value – remember that. Set your course and create!
Go On Flying Anyway
“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.”
-Mary Kay Ash
And humans weren’t made to fly either. Have you ever flapped your arms and taken off the ground? Have you ever jumped off a roof and thought you could fly. The Wright brothers were told again and again that man wasn’t able to fly.
There were others at the time of the Wright brothers that were trying many different methods and all had failed. Did that stop the Wright brothers? Did they just stop doing what they were doing and give up? I’m quite sure that they had plenty of reason to stop and give up. I’m absolutely sure that they contemplated quitting a time or two. But they didn’t know better and so kept on going.
Maybe that’s the key – not knowing better. From a young age we are all put on a track because we are told that is the best track to be on.
We are made to feel from a young age that many of the things that happen in life can be filed under the category of, “that’s life”. We go through these things, like hard times, weak moments, sad days, and arguments and such because, “that’s life”.
So maybe the Wright brothers just didn’t know better. They kept on trying because they weren’t told that you shouldn’t keep trying because you’ll fail and you won’t have the success you want.
Which brings me to another thought – how many times did Thomas Edison keep trying?
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
-Thomas Alva Edison
10,000 failures? Wow, that is almost too much to keep going. What happened? If taken in a nutshell and if created in a vacuum I bet at attempt 99 he wanted to just give up and throw in the towel. But that is not how it works. You keep doing because of why?
- Vision
He had the end vision in mind. He clearly knew that he wanted to create a light bulb. The light bulb was his creation. It was the end destination, and he wasn’t about to stop, or give up until he arrived.That would be like going on a trip to a far country and being content with only getting half way there. “Oh, I went on vacation to the Bahamas, but only got half way there, the plane kept making a funny noise and wasn’t working, so I decided that I’d stop right there (in the middle of the ocean).” - You can build on failures just as well as you can build on successes
Each time he failed he learned important lessons not to do, or things to do the next time, each time was a lesson to prod him on to the next. It was a journey. Not failure after failure, but lesson after lesson. He learned from each lesson one more detail that was necessary to reach success. - You keep on going till you reach your destination
You don’t quit or give up because the road less traveled is hard - Stay the course and enjoy the ride
So stop listening to reason. Dream big. Go for your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t – not even you. You don’t know better – so keep going till you arrive at your destination – your creation!
Creators Create don’t you know?
Do You Know Your Purpose in Life?
Do you know what your purpose in life is? How would you like to find out? And then once you found out how would you like to be guided by that purpose to create the life you desire.
Most true creators are guided by a mysterious thing called “purpose”. They follow their purpose and create lives that are filled with value and splendor.
We all want a purpose, yet to many it seems like an all-important unobtainable thing. So how do you find your prupose in life?
First, accept that it may take time to find your purpose in life. It may reauire trial and error before you get it right. Mistakes are a great way to uncover your purpose because you have the opportunity to find out what you like and don’t like. After many, “don’t likes”, and “why do I keep doing the same things over an over again”, comes a time of personal freedom and peace. Once you figure out what’s not working, you can make room for what does work.
Second, believe that you will know when you find it. How will you know? You will feel it in the pit of your stomach. It’s something that feels so right that you can’t imagine doing anything else. And, you will feel a strange “high” when you’re doing it. This “high” feeling may even frighten you. Don’t be afraid, it’s your inner power talking to you, letting you know that you are doing the right thing.
Third, you know you have found your purpose in life when it doesn’t revolve around you. It’s not the bigger house or the shiny new car that will make you happy. These are just goals, but they are not a substitute for your purpose in life. Your purpose in life will bring you happiness and that happiness only comes when serving and contributing to other people’s lives and making a difference for others. We were put on this earth to help each other, and that is the greatest feeling of all!
So, How Do You Create Your Purpose? Ask yourself these following questions – the answers will lead straight to your purpose:
“Who Am I”?
What kind of person are you? What’s been true of you since you were younger? Write down all the attributes that you can think of that are truly you. List the things you naturally have learned and developed over the years. You probably take these things for granted, not recognizing them for the special, significant and unique gifts they actually are.“What Do I Love To Do?”
What do you absolutely, truly enjoy doing in your life? Consider the gifts that have helped make doing those special things possible. Your purpose will involve doing something that you love.“What Experiences In Life Are Really Fulfilling For Me?”
Look for the times in your life that are fulfilling for you. These are times when you are just being yourself. Consider, what is it like for you while you are doing those things? What are you feeling? What’s important, special or meaningful for you? These answers hold the key to what you should be doing with your life.“What Is My Purpose In Life?”
Once your purpose becomes clearer, create a purpose statement. A Purpose Statement contains: an action, a focus, and an intended impact. Once you write it down, you have a roadmap to follow.“Who Can I Tell?”
Speaking your purpose will bring it into reality; and once you tell people, it becomes real. Plus, you’ll have the support of those around you who want to encourage you to live that purpose to its fullest extent.
And what if you’ve done all this work and it hasn’t come to you yet? Be patient, it will. We were all created for a reason. And, if you are determined to find your purpose, it will come your way. When something that strong is in your heart, it’s only a matter of time before you discover it. The answer is found within; it’s just a matter of time, before you can begin to create the life you truly desire.
