I ran into an old friend yesterday. She went through a terrible divorce that left her in financial ruins. She hadn’t worked in 15 years and she was terrified she would not get a job paying enough support herself and her kids.
She knew she had no choice but to take action. She made a list of everyone she knew and started making calls. One day, a friend of a friend called her and asked her to meet him at Starbucks. She was worried he wanted a date, not an employee, but she went anyway.
She decided to walk in there with confidence, not because of her work experience, but because of what she had inside. She had 15 years of Mom and Wife, CEO and she sold it.
He offered her a job making six figures. This was more than she needed to support her kids and live a great life.
When she got into her car, she burst into tears. Just a few weeks ago, she was living in fear that she would be on the street. What she thought was impossible became reality.
I asked her how she did it. She said, “I had to stop being afraid and believe in myself. There was no other option.”
She redefined her impossible
Before Louis Braille, It was impossible for the blind to read
Before the Wright Brothers, it was impossible for humans to fly
Before Bethany Hamilton, it was impossible for someone with one arm to win the NSSA national championship for surfing.
Before Jim Abbot, it was impossible for a man with only one hand to pitch a no hitter in the MLB.
We all have a glass ceiling of possibliltiy. There are things we feel we can accomplish and things we feel may be unrealistic or too tough.
What if you shattered that glass ceiling and peeked over the top. What would you see?
If there were no rules or limits, what would you reach for?
You have a burning desire somewhere inside you to do something. You may be doing it right now. You may be dreaming about it. You may have forgotten about it.
We set goals based on what we believe is possible. However, the problem is that we have limited beliefs. So our goals end up being limited.
Think of a goal you have right now.
If you believed that you would be guaranteed success, would your actions be different? Would you be willing to take more risks?
If you are truly passionate about something, then you WILL be guaranteed success. All you have to do is this: Don’t quit when you fail. If you keep going when you feel there is no hope, you will get there.
People accomplish the impossible because they are crazy enough to believe they can.
Aimee Mullins is one of my heroes. She was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run. She had a dream to be an Olympic Athlete.
She did that and more. She is a record-breaking Olympic Athlete. She is a model and actress. She’s a passionate advocate for a new kind of thinking about prosthetics.
She redefined her impossible.
We need to be a little crazy to go after our dreams. We need to be bold and take chances. We need to push fear aside and walk through the fire.
We need to be childlike. Remember what you wanted to be when you were little? You believed it. You saw no limits. You didn’t Google it to find out how hard it would be. You didn’t compare yourself to others. You only saw possibility.
There is something you want – a life, lifestyle, relationship, business, body or a feeling.
The truth is, it will happen. But only If you get out of your own way. Stop stopping yourself with fear and doubt. Stop thinking other people are better than you. Trust the process.
YOU are the only one who can carry out your purpose and plan for YOUR life.
You gotta be a little crazy. Step out of your comfy place. Believe you can do it.
