I agonized over this post. Trying desperately to find exactly the right words to convey just how powerful perfecting the Art of the Possible can be. I wrote the intro paragraph at least ten times and deleted every word because it felt forced. The frightening thing is that this post actually started to feel – dare I say it – impossible.
There were so many ways to associate the Art of the Possible with marketing, social media and business that I found myself consistently falling down the rabbit hole and over-engineering what’s truly a simple concept. This isn’t the first time it’s happened and I am sure I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities of a post.
It all started when a client referenced the Art of the Possible on a recent conference call. While the basis of the conversation can’t be shared here, it was an inspiring dialogue around how we limit our thinking to what we know and what we’ve experienced. After all, most of the decisions we make are based on our experiences and what we can see. Even when we think we are being innovative, we are more likely innovating on what we know. What exists.
Practicing the Art of the Possible is not a simple task. It requires you to leave words like “won’t” and “can’t” at the door on your way in. You must tear down the barriers around you and forget about budgets, timing and resources for the time being. The Art is the idea, not the execution.
Impossible is easy. The word alone can stop an idea before it’s had time to sink in. We don’t question impossible enough. Every great idea and innovation in history could have been stopped had people adhered to the simple response of “that’s impossible.” Instead, they saw impossible as a challenge. A chance to change perception and carve a new path.
We’ve given too much power to the impossible and not enough power to the Art of the Possible. Impossible has become an excuse for laziness or an escape from our fears. If we walked away from every challenge, every roadblock, every naysayer and believed in the impossible we’d fail to evolve, learn and grow. What if medical researchers decided a cure for Cancer was simply impossible and stopped working?
You can choose to practice the Art of the Possible and believe that any idea can become a reality if you work at it. Or, you can choose to be an impossible and stay on the safe side of only what you know. That’s your choice. However, the possible is exciting and what we dreamed of as children. Flying cars are possible. Flying people are possible, too. Living on the moon? Sure… it’s possible.
Me… I’ll start by sticking with a blog post even when it seems impossible.
