It always seems impossible until it’s done. – Nelson Mandela
Have you ever assembled a piece of furniture? Maybe a desk, or a kitchen table, or a television stand. You open up the box, pour the components on to the ground, and lay out the instructions like they’re some sort of treasure map and you’re ready to explore.
And then there’s that moment of silence when you look at the pieces strewn about the floor and think to yourself: This is never going to get done.
Of course, you know that eventually if you follow the instructions properly, insert Screw A into Piece B, and slide those slots together until you hear the click, the desk will be standing up just fine and you’ll be in business.
But in the beginning, seeing it all laid out in front of you can be daunting.
The same goes for life itself, only on a larger scale. Most times we don’t have a set of instructions nor do we have all of the pieces laid out on the floor in front of us. We just have a goal or a set destination, and we need to figure the in-between parts out on our own.
Impossible. This will never get done.
And then, it does. Just like last time, and the time before that.
This is how we build confidence. We challenge ourselves, overcome the challenge, allow an emotional reward, and continue on the journey.
It’s how we prove ourselves to ourselves, because each time we build the proverbial desk, we become a little more sure of our capabilities and become more willing to try something new the next time. Something even more difficult, even more daunting, even more “impossible.”
The beauty of this process is that you are always leveling up, like in a video game. When you start a new level of a video game, you aren’t starting all over again. The previous level is finished and conquered, and now you’ve gained more skills and insight that you take to the next level.
Level 2-1 is still always higher than level 1-8.
But if you try to beat the final boss on your first round ever playing the game, you’re probably going to lose. Even though it doesn’t feel that way at the time, losing will be a good thing for you.
Like building the desk, you’ll try again. This time, you’ll watch the Boss’s movements, see when they throw punches, and learn how to react more quickly yourself.
Each battle will become easier and you’ll inch even closer to victory, until finally, you become so effective that defeating the boss feels like second nature to you. Something you can do over and over again.
That’s the thing about tasks or goals that seem impossible to reach: The only way they can stay impossible is that you perpetuate that belief.
The moment you understand that it CAN be accomplished is the moment you start down the path of making it a reality.
Everything at one point of time was considered impossible, until someone actually did it and changed the course of history forever.
What dent will YOU leave in the universe?
