Impossible is just a word.

Let me ask you, do you think Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Billy Graham, Carl Sandberg, Jesus, Henry Ford, Bill Gates (this list is endless) had the word impossible in their DNA?  I seriously doubt it. Far too many people let their definition of impossible rule their present and future with doubt, fear, the need for approval and numerous negative emotions, feelings and mindsets that keep them stuck in ordinary, normal or what many refer to as “It is what it is.”

Impossible is just a word but for millions of people it is a lifestyle. In no way do I want to include myself in the list of very famous people who significantly influenced the world in a positive way but let me share one quick example. 

I received over 250 rejection letters on my first book Soft Sell. Thirty years later it is in 25 languages and with sales over one million copies.  When I first wrote it I was just another aspiring author.  Today I am still an aspiring author with one trait that has not changed – I refuse to accept the idea of impossible.

What about you?  Letting this word or your interpretation of it negatively influence your decisions, choices, actions, beliefs, attitudes or what could be in your life?  I’m not suggesting that all of us can invent or discover significant things that can dramatically influence society or the world at large in a positive way, but consider – maybe you can influence or touch just one life in some way due to your courage, faith, belief and creativity.

Why do we let the idea of impossible influence our decisions and behavior?  Well, over the years and studying hundreds of great influencers I have narrowed the list down to what I believe are the three primary reasons why people live ordinary lives when they could live extraordinary lives.

1)     Fear.  Fear of something, fear of everything or fear of anything. Fear is a creativity killer.  It gets in the way of everything that one day could be.  It destroys confidence, self-belief, faith and courage.

2)     The need for approval from others. Having been in front of over a million people in 26 countries during my career as a speaker, I will guarantee there have been thousands of people who didn’t like me, my message, my approach or even how I was dressed.  In the end there are only two things we need in my opinion to achieve greatness (however you choose to define it) self-acceptance/approval and the approval of God.  And I might add that both are a given if you will just open up to them.  We don’t need to live our lives seeking the approval of spouses, friends, customers, bosses, parents or even total strangers and yet this seems to be the mantra of millions of people.

3)     The willingness and courage to fail.  Without failure we learn nothing so if you haven’t ever failed I will guess you haven’t tried.  I don’t care if it’s a new recipe, a new product, a new approach or a new anything . . . Failure is an absolute necessity to achieve success.

Well, I leave this discussion with a simple question – how do you define impossible?