Specialize In The Impossible

“What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible.” wrote the American poet, Theodore Roethke.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this today and asking myself if I even consider the impossible in my life and business.

I’m pretty good at the possible.

I know I can grow my business 10 percent next year. I know I can eat and exercise and maintain my health. I know I can go on my typical summer vacation. I know I can write a few more articles this year and tape some more Thrive in 5 videos. I’m doing the possible.

But, the impossible?

When I get honest with myself, the impossible scares me a lot. It means I have to change and act differently.

Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach suggests that growing your business 10 times is often easier than growing it 10% because you have to change what you do and how you do it. In fact, it demands a radical shift. And it’s there that I hit the wall. I like my possible. I don’t have to change much. I can continue in the same comfortable patterns I’ve been in.

To do the “impossible” for me would mean growing my business by 10 times. It would mean changing the way I do things. It would mean I would need to use my superpowers every day and eliminate those things best left to others. It would mean I’d need to confront the head trash I carry with me about my capabilities. I’d have to start doing revenue production instead of merely thinking about ways to do it.

And then I look at the other aspects of my life and think about things impossible there like actually getting down to my fighting weight of 185. Or, writing that book I want to publish and getting it done by the end of this year. How about taking my amazing wife on the vacation of a lifetime to celebrate our fifth anniversary? I’ve got a lot of things that seem beyond possible.

It’s time for some impossible. I’m going to specialize in it.

Will you join me?