The Possibles, Impossibles and Not Possibles of Life

Have you ever once said “That’s impossible!” in your life?

I have.

Many times, and I even do it to this day, still not having learned from my mistakes (although I’m getting better).

It is always amazing to me that I can still utter those words today, knowing the history and potential of humankind for better or for worse.

All the “Impossibles” of Life:

• That the world is actually a sphere and ’round’, not flat
• The widespread usage of ‘horseless’ carriage (a car) or personal computers
• Our ancestors could conceive of and build things like Stonehenge and Pyramids without modern technology
• A telephone would be small and portable enough to hold in the palm of your hand
• Man could one day, walk on the moon and go into outer space
• People would FLY through the air in huge, heavy, metal contraptions to get from one country to another
• We could talk to each other over something called the “Internet” without having to call or see the person
• … or have people we consider ‘friends’ without ever having met them in real life?
• All those “ordinary” people who get their college degrees while being a single parent/in poverty/without any education, etc etc.
• Helpless, defenseless 4-month old baby could survive such a wave of horrific disasters happening in Japan?

I could go on of all the Impossibles that shouldn’t have been Possible, and I’m sure you have plenty of examples of your own.

So why is it that we don’t think that for ourselves that what others can do is ever Possible for us?

How can you say for certain what is possible and impossible?

Whenever my clients ask me: Is that possible?

I always say: Everything is technically possible. The question is more of Time, Money and Resources!

A person who can say what is impossible, cuts themselves off from growing and refuses to be challenged.

Being a huge geek and fan of Japanese samurai manga from a very young age*, those pages made into easy-to-understand stories really shaped my worldview and perspective growing up.

While I am not as flexible ‘as a willow in the wind’, I try to be, even though I sometimes fail in my endeavours to do so.

*Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Executioner, Usagi Yojimbo, Lady Snowblood, Path of the Assassin

My own world view as an adult now consists of these three basic principles:

• POSSIBLE: What can be done because it’s been proven before
• IMPOSSIBLE: What cannot be done
• NOT POSSIBLE: What cannot be done…. at this moment or in this place

Not possible not the same as Impossible, because it just means this isn’t the time or the place.

Once, I told myself as a student: It’s just impossible to take time off and travel for a month or two wherever I want.

First, I don’t have the money and second, if I got a job to make the money, where would I ever get the damn time!?

Frustrated, I put it out of my mind and didn’t travel until recent years, thinking I simply didn’t have the means to do so.

I was admittedly envious of students who jet-setted off to Europe or even NYC for a week(s) at a time after high school, during college and after college before starting their jobs.

Now, I am publicly eating my words because 2011 is the Year of Travel for me.

Surprisingly, I overcame my own mental and resource obstacles, and thankfully I now have the money and the time to travel.

Best of all? I have someone to travel with, which makes it all the more special.

Never say never, they say.

So how does all of this mumbo jumbo apply to you?

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