Click to Play: What Would Happen if You Improved by Just 1% Everyday?

The other day, I was thinking how I can make my podcasts even better, more helpful for everyone reading PYG.

Back when I started doing podcasts (a few weeks ago), I knew this was going to be a learning curve — there were several software involved that I’d use such as Audacity for recording my voice, editing for clarity and converting the audio into an MP3, uploading the files using FTP etc.

On day one, it was a slow progress. On day two, I knew the sequence. On day three, things got easier and my focus shifted. I started focusing on advanced ways to make the podcasts a great experience for you.

It’s been that way since and this is PYG’s sixth podcast. My point? They quality of questions I was asking while I created my first podcast were completely different than the ones I’m asking today.

Similarly, the quality of your problems as you tackle a goal keep changing as you keep at it. If muscle-building is your goal and you’ve been at it for 6 months now,  your problems will be inevitably quite different than a newbie’s. In short, you’d have overcome noob questions and asking much better, advanced questions because of where you are today.

So how do you switch from a low-quality problem to a high-quality one? By pushing the comfort zone inch by inch consistently.

You do it in pieces, everyday. It can be a slow progress but it is still progress. That’s when you start using the 1% improvement rule.

What would happen if you improved 1% everyday? How would your life be different? What goals would you accomplish in 100 days? 200 days? A year?

If you just focus on improving not by twice, not thrice by just 1% everyday, you’ll form a new habit. You’ll stop focusing on “being perfect” or the massive end goal and start doing what it takes to cross The Between stage.

Because otherwise, we’re too hell bent on “getting things right” the first time and if they are not right, we don’t do it at all. But right according to whom? Perfect according to whom?

I used the 1% improvement rule in developing my podcasts. I was a newbie once and with each passing day, I got fairly comfortable with publishing them. Imagine if I were waiting for “the perfect” podcast — I doubt you ever hear my voice at all!

In this quick podcast, I decode the rule with real-life examples of other successful people. Give it a go by clicking the button below. (~ 10 minutes).

 Click to Play: What Would Happen if You Improved by Just 1% Everyday?

They say there are no shortcuts to success. But there are “smart-cuts” I’d say.

In this podcast, we look at the NLP principle that says “Physiology creates Psychology“.

What does that mean? Let me ‘splain.

Physiology is your physical demeanor, the way you walk, talk and behave. It’s everything to do with your body, your facial gestures, the change in the color of your skin, the movement of your eyes, the slight shrug of the shoulder, the slouching posture and so on.

It’s composed of many, many tiny details in your physical behavior that make up your physiology.

You need to just remember two things:

1. Physiology is the short-cut or “smart-cut” to success
2. You can change your physiology almost instantly with each different situation.

Psychology in this case means your mindset. It could be resourceful and positive, or un-resourceful and negative. It’s typically hard to change your psychology because it’s deep-rooted in your subconscious and your subconscious learns through repetition.

The shorter and smarter way is to influence your mindset using your body language. You’ll find the two are intertwined, and a change in one will always lead to a change in the other.

When you’re feeling glum, try looking at yourself in the mirror and smiling. Keep at it, even if it feels stupid. Soon, you’ll internalize your smile and start feeling it in your body and mind.

That’s why a lot of people prefer looking in the mirror, smiling at themselves the first thing in the morning. It sets the mood for the whole day.

I go in detail and share a personal example of how I accidentally applied this principle in my own life when I was sh*t-scared.

I think you’ll enjoy it. Listen to the ~10 min lesson below.

 Episode 5: Listen here

Missed Episode 1? Listen here. [~8 mins.]
Missed Episode 2? Listen here. [~12 mins.]
Missed Episode 3? Listen here. [~10 mins.]
Missed Episode 4? Listen here. [~10 mins.]

Hola! Welcome to episode#4 of Living and Extraordinary Life Series. This principle ties in well with the last one, which was Sensory Acuity.

Principle #4 is having behavioral flexibility.

You see, it’s stupid to know your outcome, take action toward it and keep doing it even though you’re not getting any closer to your original goal.

Yes, persistence is a great attribute to have, but stubbornness? Not so much. With your awareness you can gauge if the life you’re living is by design or by default.

Living a life by default means you’ve got something off. It could be the timing, the action, the approach, or even your beliefs about the whole thing.

In this podcast, we decode how you can turn-around any situation by being flexible enough about your behaviors. That means you tweak your behavior (action steps, beliefs around your goal etc) and then measure the results.

We also look at a mantra I personally use a lot in my life, and suggest my clients too.

“Do Something Else”

When things are not going the way you’d like them to be, STOP cribbing and whining because from past experience, you know that’s not going to serve you.

Instead, do something else. Do one thing differently. Change something about your action. Try on a new belief.

Stuck for a long time?
Not getting enough results?
Unsure why things are not working?
Shit hit the fan?!

Just do something else. 

As simple as that, but works wonders. Try it.

We also decode why we do what we do using BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model.

All behavior is based on reason. For you to behave a certain way, something must be happening right to cause it.

Fogg’s model explains what makes up a behavior (and how you can change it too for behavioral flexibility). Here are the 3 elements we explore in-depth in the podcast:

1. Core motivators
2. Ability
3. Triggers

All this, and more, in this week’s lesson. Listen below and tell me what you think (~17 mins.):

 Episode 4: Listen here

Missed Episode 1? Listen here. [~8 mins.]
Missed Episode 2? Listen here. [~12 mins.]
Missed Episode 3? Listen here. [~10 mins.]

Welcome to episode 3 of Extraordinary Living series! I’m super-excited to bring this lesson to you because personally, I’ve had a hard time with it myself in the past.

Quick recap: In the last two episodes, we looked at knowing your outcome well before-hand (so you can focus) and taking action toward your set outcome.

Want to increase traffic to your website? Great. How much traffic? Get specific. Get that on paper. Then, begin taking action.

The third principle of living an extraordinary life is having a sensory awareness or sensory acuity (as it’s called in NLP or coaching lingo) around your life.

Take a simple scenario: You’ve set your goal and are doing the do. And . . . that’s it. You keep taking action, over and over again, putting your head down to work unsure of whether or not your efforts are yielding results at all.

This happens to the best of us. We set out on a goal and we do what it takes but only a few of us really stop and evaluate what’s happening. It takes an awareness of how you’re responding to life, opportunities, synchronicities and the subtle (and not so subtle) signals around you.

Let’s take an example — a sales person sets a goal to sell 15 cars a month. He applies everything he knows to the t. He listens to his superior, reads lot of books about the psychology behind buying and people’s behavior, and does what it takes.

But instead of making a sale, he ends up losing customers. Nevertheless, our salesman goes by the books and continues doing what he’s doing, without getting any results.

One day, he finds the missing piece of the puzzle — his body language! He’s been saying one thing, trying to look confident but his customers smell a rat from a mile away because his body language sends across a completely different image.

He’s got a new awareness. Now he can apply this new-found knowledge and change his course.

It’s way much smarter to stop and see, hear, and feel what’s happening around you than just putting your head down and working.

That’s your sensory acuity at play. It’s a great tool to have in your toolkit.

How to Develop Better Sensory Acuity

You can enhance and practise your sensory acuity or awareness with this quick exercise.

The next time you’re at a meeting, a party or a family gathering, observe how people respond in terms of their:

1. Words
2. Eye movements
3. Tonality of their voice
4. Changes in the colour of their skin
5. Posture
6. Facial expressions
7. Energy levels

This will help you build a better rapport with them, which leads to stronger relationships.

In your own life, look at the day-to-day and long-term results you’ve created. Want to be healthy? Define healthy first. What does “healthy” mean to you: is it a particular weight or more body muscle?

Look at how you’re doing in the health department right now and whether it’s in alignment to where you’d like to be. Are you close to your outcome?

If not, there’s no point in continuing the “best diet ever” that your BFF suggested 6 months ago — because it’s not taking you where you want to go.

Open your eyes (and other senses); apply your awareness in areas of your life to evaluate your choices and decisions. At any point, you can scrap them and start over. That’s way more cooler than sticking to something that delivers zilch.

Listen to this week’s podcast below (~10 minutes) and as always, let me know what you think!

 Episode 3: Listen here

Missed Episode 1? Listen here. [~8 mins.]
Missed Episode 2? Listen here. [~12 mins.]

But as you know, success at realizing your dreams comes when you act.

Needless to say, if you’re after achieving something big, you’ll have to put in more time and effort.  If you’re after smaller goals, you’ll put in a few hours.

It all depends on what you’re after. But the fact is, not many know the answer to this.

The whole process of ticking off your bucket list, and living the life you want, then boils down into 3 steps:

1. Know what you want

I’m the impatient type. I have several interests and more than one passion. At any time, I am working on a few different projects that keep fueling my intense curiosity toward life.

Of course, this is only possible because I chose to design an un-9-5 lifestyle. But that comes at a price.

When I lack a laser-like focus (which is easy for me to do), I mess things up. I may have a zillion ideas brimming in my mind at once or I’d be distracted by the next shiny object I come across (a new email…ooh).

It’s at times like these when I fail to know what I truly want. There is no focus. My energy is scattered and all over the place. That was a shortcut to failure.

This is also a sign that I am off-track, not doing what I want to be doing. My heart is not into it.

It takes conscious intention to deliberately focus on first finding out what you want. We
get too busy with the meaningless tasks during the day. We think we’re keeping busy, but busy is hardly reaching for the stars.

The key is to first know what you want right now. It could be temporary in the long run, but permanent in this moment.

2. Evaluate the Price

It’s not enough to just know what you want and start working toward it. Evaluate the price you will have to pay for achieving what you want.

If your goal is to start a blog on the side during weekends, find out how many hours it’s going to take. Set aside at least 3 hours in the beginning and you should be OK.

But if your goal is to fly a plane or make a million bucks, you’ll need more hours to do so. Evaluate how much it’s going to cost you in terms of hours and then make a decision whether you’re up for the price to pay.

You got to pay the full price or nothing at all. Don’t go into it half-way. Either commit fully, aware what it takes or don’t get into it yet.

If you’re not ready to invest the hours, you’ll get frustrated because you’re getting no where. It’s OK if you genuinely can’t — you can always course-correct. But get into it with an intention of going full throttle.

3. Expand your comfort zone

You’re always within a certain comfort zone — always. Some people have large comfort zones whereas others have small ones. It’s all OK until it’s serving you well.

But when you start getting sick of the way things are going, it’s time to expand your zone. You’ll still remain in a comfort zone but it’s going to be a bigger, better one this time.

Take up one activity every day that makes you uncomfortable. For me, it was speaking at my own workshops in 2012. The first time I organized a workshop, I was scared to step out of my house. I prayed people would cancel. An airplane would land on the venue. Or on me.

Nothing like that happened and I had to go because I promised I’ll be there. Amazing thing it is, social pressure.

I cannot forget that noon when I presented in front of a small group of five. I was unstoppable. Of course I umm’ed and aah’ed. I had doubts if I was talking sense. I went blank a few times.

BUT — amazingly, whenever I had a dumb moment, someone would share their story and others would chime in. It was organic. It was as if the universe knew perfectly when I needed to pause so it sent people to my “rescue” without their knowledge!

That day, I came home, announced the next three events and booked a place for them. I had expanded my comfort zone three-fold. And I loved every bit of that challenge.

Soon, I became comfortable speaking in front of people while enjoying the experience. I still have butterflies in my stomach when I speak, but it’s a good sign that this still challenges me. Once that stops, I will go back to step#1.

The key is to get comfortable getting uncomfortable.

–

Think about how you are realizing your dreams. Answer this in three steps in the comments:

1. What is your dream?
2. What will it cost you?
3. How will you expand your comfort zone once you’re ready?

Image by seyed mostafa zamani.

The mind works in miraculous ways. Even a sceptic will agree to it.

Have you ever noticed how what you focus on is what you get? For some of us, it just takes a few hours; for some, it takes a few days or weeks.

But what you focus on is eventually what you get.

Personally, I’ve known this for far too long, but still have had the guts to ignore the principle and name it “just a coincidence”.

But you and I both know there is something beyond us that, when tapped into, delivers what you ask.

The first step is to ask.

It means you deliberately focus on what you want. It is to invest your full energy and emotion into making it clear in no uncertain terms that I WANT THIS NOW.

It takes a level of frustration about your current situation. You need to be so tired, so darned of the current situation that every bit of you desires the change.

A Personal Story

A few years ago, I was working at a well-paying, stable IT job. I was trusted by my manager; I finished my work on time and didn’t ask for a raise in years. I had even found a compromise where I worked just enough so my manager was happy, but not to let him assign me more challenging work.

Internally, I was dead bored of my life. My life felt flat like a brick. I had no passion, no want, no desire left. You wouldn’t be crossing a line if you called me a living zombie back then.

One day, the frustration was up to the brim that I couldn’t take it anymore. I had just gone through a bitter breakup, so it meant the only thing I looked forward to in my life was gone too – poof!

After a couple months, I was still hurting and sat down in my balcony to write in my journal. I remember clearly talking to the “universe”, asking it, demanding it, begging it to get me out of this rut.

That evening, I wrote my future – literally. I asked this: I want to meet someone who supports me in pursuing a new career field; who loves me and respect me. I also asked moving away from India, my home country, for a while.

That was in May 2009. In November that year, I quit my job to pursue freelance writing. The same time, I also met my now-husband who was living in Australia. In March 2010, I moved Down Under to join him.

You can call it a coincidence, the mysterious functioning of the RAS (Reticular Articulating System), or anything you like. It doesn’t matter. What matters is to observe the series of steps it takes to change something that you’re not happy about.

When you’re in the deepest rut, you either desire change as if your life depends on it, or you think of yourself as the problem, aka rut, itself.

Guess what happens when you think of yourself as the problem? You are given more of it. You focus on the deep shit, believing that there is no way out. You keep getting more.

But then your innate needs kick in. As a human being, you are naturally wired to look at life positively no matter how much you deny it. You are human enough to hope. So there is this one moment when you bounce back.

It is the silver lining when you desire something else. You ask for it. Perhaps it is through meeting someone who has it all. Perhaps it is because a TV commercial or a blurb at the back of a book. For a split second, now you believe that you too could have it all. That’s when the magic happens. You’ve just experienced a shift in the mindset.

The second step is to wait.

The more you shift your focus away from purely desiring what you want, the more you wait. In my case, I waited from May to November (although the seed was sown well before May). So I waited for six months at least.

You need to course-correct yourself at every step. If you don’t, you’re only going to take more time.

The third step is to receive.

When something amazing knocks at your door, don’t be a schmuck or overly modest. Don’t get stuck in “oh I don’t know. Do I deserve this?” mindset.

In the above three steps, mindset is key. You have to be in the mindset of “Yes, I am ready”. When I met my partner, I didn’t analyse him too much out of habit. When the opportunity to move to Australia knocked at my door, I didn’t think twice. When the chance to start my own business presented itself, I jumped in.

Just as a thermostat will determine the temperature of the room, your mindset will determine your life situations. If your thermostat is set at a really low temperature, guess what you’ll get? Coldness.

You choose the temperature that is most comfortable for you. Similarly, your mindset will let you choose the most amazing experiences, and keep bringing more to you, if you adjust it properly.

So my question is where is your mindset now? Look at the different areas of your life and determine your personal thermostat setting.

Do you enjoy it the current mindset setting? Do you think it’s getting too cold? Too hot? If so, what do you want to do next?

Image by Shermeee.

MindValley is one of my favourite companies in the personal development industry. Recently, they surveyed 20,000 people on the most important Life Skill and the education they received on it.

The result? Astonishing, yet when you think about it, it is believable. The BIGGEST gap was in the area of Happiness and Positive Living. This means that the gap between how much people valued this skill and how much they learned about it was the biggest.

Alternative Healing came second followed by Wealth & Abundance.

Check out the infographic below to peek at the 5 Life Skills that scoured the biggest gaps and take your own quiz here.

[Click infographic to expand]

[Click infographic to expand]

What Life Skills mean the most to you and how would you like to educate yourself more? Share your comments below!

Image by suvival198.

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

People handle life one of two ways – they either float through life and allow things to happen or they make things happen. Those that make things happen know how to set goals.

At one time, I felt like setting goals would be a silly waste of my time. But as life continued on, I found that I tended to follow what everyone else wanted for me. I had chosen life paths that didn’t really fit my personality, let alone fulfill my desires.

Related: Smart Goal Setting - Goals on Track

It took me a long time to figure this out, but when I did, I realized why I had felt so unhappy and unfulfilled. Thankfully, as long as you’re alive, there’s a chance to turn things around. And as long as there is a chance to change it, you don’t have to accept the way your life is. 

Change, I did.

I sat down and questioned everything. Who I was, who I wasn’t, what I truly wanted out of life, what I believed and what I didn’t. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a source of inspiration for others. I wanted to positively impact the lives of people around me.

Once I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, I started thinking about how I could break that down and make it happen.

For my children, I wanted to be more than just their mother; I wanted to be someone that they could trust when all of the confusing things in life started happening – puberty, relationships, school challenges, peer pressure and more.

In my romantic relationships and friendships, I wanted to be a person that could care for themselves, not be overly dependent. I wanted to be a support system and learn how to effectively ask for support without being overly needy.

Then I wanted to reach out and inspire people I didn’t know and had never met. This was a bit more complicated since everyone needs something different, so I started looking at the paths I’d travelled up to that point. I asked myself how those might be of benefit to others.

I sought out therapy so that I could be emotionally healthy myself. I set deal-breakers for relationships and carefully analyzed how I interacted within those relationships.

Setting goals for relationships was harder than setting a goal for an educational path, career or other tangible things like a house, money, or car. So I took a deep look at myself and made goals based on how I needed to improve myself so I could improve my relationships and the world around me.

Today, my kids and I have talks that I never would have been able to have before. I have very close friends that I admire, respect and appreciate. I have a husband who loves me for me, and who respects the person I am.

I am still working on reaching out to people that I don’t know. I’ve taken steps in the right direction, but I’m not quite there yet. Right now, my focus is on sharing what I’ve learned through my mistakes and offering support and knowledge to victims of domestic violence and their families.

It’s not going to happen overnight, and sometimes, I still forget why I set my goals in the first place. I make mistakes, just like everyone else, but I have a better awareness of those mistakes and why they happen. Overall, I’m happy with the direction my life is going.

How to Set Goals for a Happier Life

I could very easily tell you my goals and how I came up with them, and you could base your plan on that. But that would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it? The idea here is for you to achieve what you want out of life.

Decide what you want — Here’s how.

If you’re struggling with what you want out of life, consider some of these questions:

• What things do I value in life? Are they tangible things like a job, a career, education, a home? Or is what I value less tangible – relationships, humanity, animal treatment, world hunger, etc.?
• What would I like to see changed about the things I value?
• Do I have any experience or qualities that can help make change happen?
• What are those qualities?
• What do I still need to learn to make changes possible?
• What kind of support system do I have?
• Where can I go if I have questions or need information?

These are just a few of the questions that will help you move on to the next step – actively learning how to set goals.

Take what you want and turn it into a goal.

You should already have a pretty clear picture of what you want to achieve. Now you just need to learn how to use that and turn it into a goal. When looking at the answers to your questions above, evaluate the thing that you would like to see changed. Most of the time, you can simply reword this into a goal.

However, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, the change is too big to tackle at once. You need to learn how to set goals that are easier to achieve. Other times, the goal is not something you can achieve alone; you need to build a circle of resources, people that are passionate about the same thing as you.

No matter what the reason your change seems so impossible, or unobtainable, you can learn how to set goals to make these desires more achievable. The following tips will help:

• Set smaller goals that are easier to achieve.
• View failures, setbacks and difficulties as a chance to learn, grow and reevaluate rather than a reason to give up.
• Look for other ways that you can implement your current goal into your life. When I decided that I wanted to be an inspiration to others, I looked at all the ways I could apply that to my life – my kids, my friendships, my romantic relationships and strangers.
• Find ways that you can measure your success. For me, this was difficult since you can’t really measure relationships. But there were things I could measure – like the discussions I had with my children, the amount of time we spent together in which we actually felt like a family. The happier and more secure I felt about the relationships I had, the more I realized that I was actually accomplishing my goals.
• Learn the art of self-affirmation. When you think positively about your goals and you speak them into existence, it helps align your mind with your goal. It also primes you for success.
• When you feel yourself pulling back from your goals or procrastinating, question why. Do some problem solving to see if you can get back on track. Ask yourself the hard questions and, even if there aren’t any real answers, find a way to move forward.
• Anyone who teaches people how to set goals will tell you to write your goals down, put them in every place you can think of – on your refrigerator, in your car, at your desk, etc. There is a valid reason for this; by putting them in front of you every day, they stay in the forefront of your mind – conscious thought, if you will.
• Reward yourself for small accomplishments. No big or amazing goal is going to happen overnight, and short term goals and celebrations help give you the willpower and strength to move forward. Our family took a vacation this year – our very first – and it was a reward for all the hard work we’d done to become a closer, healthier family. So wonderfully worth it.

Remember, no matter what you want to achieve, there is a way to make it possible. The first step is learning how to set goals in a way that works for you.

The rest is to know yourself, being mindful of what you want, being your own best cheerleader, and recognizing that if you want it enough, you will find a way to it.

Your Turn

If you were an expert at goal-setting, what else would you say about how to set goals? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Image by plaits.

“There is no passion to be found playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
~Nelson Mandela

Have you ever noticed how small incidents can change your life? At times, they can help you realize and follow your passion.

Five years ago, I was assigned a project as part of my undergraduate program. The largest dance festival in our nation was being held and I was given the job of interviewing the artists before they went on stage.

I was a student of journalism with dreams of becoming a famous reporter or a news anchor. Little did I know that an almost unimportant assignment would change my perspective towards my career. This event made me realize the difference between passion and infatuation.

After interviewing the dancers from various countries I was so intrigued by their way of life. The discipline, their hunger to be the best at their art and the sheer dedication took me by surprise. I thought dancing was fun.

I did it all my life in school shows, local competitions and family get-togethers, of course. But I never thought that this could be a career choice that demanded so much from you.

I thought of just enrolling in a dance class for fun, to get a piece of life that these people led. At least, it would be a good break from all the assignments and pressure, I thought. Before I knew it I was rehearsing ten hours a day, performing with a dance troupe and actually living a dancer’s life.

Then came the best moment of my life. I was chosen to represent my country in an international competition. No, we did not win but the recognition that it gave me and the fact that I was the face of my country at that event made me realize that this is what I’ve always wanted. That day, I acknowledged that dance is my passion and no matter what, I will follow it and see where it takes me.

Today, I own a small dance company that is slowly manifesting itself into what I always dreamt of.

Why should you follow your passion?

Even if you do not get to make your passion your career in the beginning, hold on to it and work on it slowly. There are three simple reasons why you should recognize your passion and go for it.

1. Passion gives your life a purpose: Waking up every morning and looking for an excuse to get off work or dreading the fact that you have to go to a job that is just exhausting is the worst thing. Keeping your passion alive will give you a reason to wake up in the morning and say, “Yes, today is going to be a fun day.”
2. Passion makes your mind sharp and alert: Whether you are actually pursuing your passion as your career or just letting it grow in the background, you will realize that your mind stays alert for an opportunity. You become sensitive to anything that is even remotely associated with what you love doing.
   Slowly, you will see that everything, in one way or another, is interesting. Trust me, there are instances when I find music in the chaos of traffic. It’s a wonderful feeling.
3. Passion keeps you younger for longer: Sometimes when we look at legendary actors or musicians who are so full of energy even at sixty, we wonder what keeps them going.
   Remember I told you how everything around you seems interesting? This feeling is universal with people who have dared to keep their passion alive.

It is this constant happiness and sense of achievement that keeps havng a go at any age. And, if it can work for them, it can work for everyone.

How to Have a Job and Still Follow Your Passion

Following your passion does not mean that you ignore the responsibilities that you have. Everyone has bills to pay at the end of the day.

If you are lucky enough to be able to convert your passion into something lucrative, that’s great. But, if you still haven’t gotten there, you can always balance a job and a dream.

Time management is your only choice. Look for a job that will give you time to take out to pursue your passion. If that is not possible, the weekends are always available. After all, even on your days of rest there is nothing more relaxing than doing something you love.

It is never easy to tread on the ‘dream-path’. But, as you get closer to where you want to be, every hurdle and every sacrifice that you made will be totally worth it.

Make a schedule, set a goal and do whatever it takes to start following your passions! It’s all possible.

Are you following your passion? Share your story with us in the comments!

Image by abnormalbeauty.

Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Do you have big dreams or goals? Do they feel unobtainable or impossible?

Take heart, dear friend, because in the end, nothing is impossible.

Personal Story

Seven years ago, I took a position at the bottom of a prominent fast food chain. In just two short months, I managed to work my way up to manager, and I was given my own store – a store that had been on the brink of being shut down.

I quickly worked to turn things around. Sales, performance, food quality and safety improved drastically. I was making a salary that supported my entire family. To anyone on the outside, it looked as though I’d achieved success.

But I was miserable.

Long, brutal hours meant I spent very little time with my family. By the time they woke up in the morning, I was already at the store.

I rarely made it home before late evening. More times than not, there would be an emergency at the store and I’d head off to handle it, usually returning after they’d gone to bed.

The walls came crashing down after I learned that I was pregnant with our fourth child. I’d missed out on so much with my other children, and I couldn’t bear the thought missing out on all those little things again.

I wanted to actually spend time being a mom.

Without so much as a rudimentary plan, I put in my resignation. Over the next year, I spent time at home with my four children and I loved every minute of it. But I still had this desire to do something amazing; I just couldn’t put my finger on what it might be.

A few months later, I heard about freelance writing. I was intrigued, but the opportunity didn’t really register.

I’d given up my dreams of being a writer long ago and hadn’t written anything in years. Besides, there was no way I could manage a household, care for four children and successfully start my own business from scratch….or could I?

I did my research and eventually found a company that would pay me a small fee for my work. In addition to that nominal fee, I received feedback and suggestions on how I could improve. Slowly but surely, my writing improved, and before I knew it, I found myself telling people, “I’m a writer!”

It wasn’t any easy road, nor was the journey short. Though I could pretty much decide when and how much I wanted to work, there were odd hours. In fact, my husband pretty much took over the care of our children for a while so I could become established.

Today, I find myself turning down clients because I just don’t have the room for any more.  I make an income comparable to what I would make working part-time at my local convenience store, but I work fewer hours to accomplish that income.

And my writing has improved so much that I’ve decided to pursue yet another passion: fictional writing.

Nothing is Impossible

Take a moment to look at the world around you and notice all the “impossible” things.

Airplanes, which weigh thousands of pounds, fly through the air, transporting people and cargo across the country in just a matter of hours.

Through cell phones and computers, we connect with people we’ve never even met in real life, sending them messages in a matter of mere seconds.

People once believed these things were impossible, and yet they are a part of our everyday lives. Someone took that impossibility and made it possible. You can too.

Making the Impossible Possible

How can you make your impossible goals a reality? I believe it all starts with making the impossible possible.

Here’s how:

1. Determine what obstacles make your goal feel so impossible.

By identifying these hurdles, you can put them into perspective and make a plan for overcoming them.

Years of not writing made my goals of becoming a writer seem impossible. Instead of allowing this to stand in the way of my dreams, I sought out a company that would allow me to write, but that would also provide feedback so I could improve.

2. Break it down.

Rather than focusing on the large, long-term goal, break it down into smaller, more manageable goals. Celebrate each milestone because these are a step in the right direction.

3. Failure is only feedback.

Embrace your mistakes and view them as learning experiences rather than failures. Rather than allow myself to become disheartened by negative reviews, I used them as a tool for growth.

I reminded myself that, like most things, writing is a constant learning experience.

4. Keep checking in.

Is your goal something that you can measure? When will you know when you’ve accomplished what you’ve set out to do?

For me, it was earning an income comparable to what I would have made at a regular job.

When the Impossible STILL Feels Impossible

I am a HUGE Dr. Seuss fan, and one of my favorite books is Oh, the Places You’ll Go. Though there are many interpretations, this beloved children’s book reminds us that nothing is impossible, and indeed, you can accomplish anything.

However, there will be “bang-ups and hang-ups” along the way. The following points may help you effectively deal with them:

Reassess

If you’re not checking off any of your short-term goals, it may be time to reassess. Maybe your goals weren’t set up in a realistic manner, or maybe you’ve learned that those smaller goals aren’t going to get you to where you need to be.

You may also find that your long-term goal has changed.

Whatever the case, use this reassessment time to reflect and consider what’s working for you and what isn’t.

Revise

Sometimes our goals change; we grow, change our point of view or we realize that our original goal was just the start of a bigger plan.

For me, becoming a copywriter reminded me that I had once wanted to write fictional novels. That desire has led me to revise my long-term plan.

While I still work as a copywriter, I hope to eventually phase out that part of my profession by replacing it with more time writing fiction.

Seek Out Resources

When trying to accomplish big dreams, the saying “No man is an island” couldn’t be more true. Sometimes we need the help of others to make our goals a reality.

For example, my goal of becoming a novelist has required me to stop outside of my comfort zone. I’ve sought out fellow authors, editors, book cover artists, bloggers and more.

For you, resources may include help with certain aspects of your goal, or it may simply mean finding a support system that can cheer you on when things start to feel impossible.

Conclusion

Remember to be gentle with yourself. Ask for help when you find yourself in a rut. Welcome mistakes and learning opportunities, and don’t be afraid to reassess or revise your goals.

If I can accomplish my goals, so can you. It doesn’t matter if they’re different, or if you need to take different steps to get there. The point is that in life, nothing is impossible unless you allow it to be.

Image by Vincent Boiteau.