Cover Photo by @jplenio: https://unsplash.com/photos/hvrpOmuMrAI
One of my favourite word in this world is the word Impossible.
I don’t know if anyone else is like me on that, but every time someone tells me it would be impossible for me to do something, I light up inside. Now there’s nothing more I want to do than prove them wrong.
As Barney Stinson would say: “Challenge accepted!”.
Anyone else is like me on this?
How do you react when someone tells you it’s impossible to accomplish something?
I understand that sometimes you have to listen to good advice, but there are also times when you have to trust in yourself, give it your real best shot and accomplish things that, deep inside, you know you can do.
“Danny, You Will Never Accomplish Anything In Life”
That’s what my brother told me about 16 years ago as I was playing video games on my Gameboy Advance on the couch, just like every other day.
Without knowing it, he changed my life forever.
This is such a harsh thing to say to someone. I could have been devastated. But somehow I knew he was wrong, even though all signs pointed that he was right.
I was far from being a popular kid in high school. Living far from the town center, I would never play with friends. And being so immersed in games, I didn’t really connect much with people.
I was a classic introverted kid.
But shortly after his remark, I had renewed resolve. I had to prove my brother wrong.
About 16 years later, I’ve accomplished way more than I imagine was possible. Especially in hindsight. Sometimes, in the day to day living, you don’t realize how much you accomplish during a year.
I started journaling and thinking about that recently. I’m baffled by the results. I didn’t put it in my brother’s face, but man was he wrong about me never accomplishing anything in life!
“Danny, Your Goals Are Insane And Impossible To Reach”
Said two co-workers in the past two months. To be fair, probably everyone at the co-working space thought I was insane, with reason.
My goals are getting more and more insane. But the things is, with obsession, both in planning and in execution, you can achieve so much more than even you think you can.
“There’s no talent here. This is hard work. This is obsession. Talent does not exist.” — Conor McGregor
Gaining Extreme Mass In A Short Timeframe
The first goal that was deemed impossible was my goal of gaining 5kg of mass, while losing 3% body fat, all that in one month. For an ectomorph like myself, it’s insane. To maintain my 56kg weight, I had to eat about 2,800 calories. The norm for 56kg is 2,036 calories. A lot of girls are jealous of my problem. I hate it.
When my co-worker said it was impossible, I had to prove her wrong.
I wanted my 5kg of mass even more. It was the most insane month of my life. The workout was hard, but the hardest part was eating about 700 calories of high-value healthy food almost every 2 hours. It was hard to eat it all, but it was also expensive and took time to prepare every day.
A little after halfway, I was behind on my gains. I really wasn’t sure I could make it anymore. I was about 1kg behind schedule. And then my co-worker told me she knew it was impossible.
BOOM! Instant energy boost!
I had more energy at the gym. I doubled my daily push-up count. Started doing even more squats. Doubled the weights at the gym.
A few days later, I had reached the 5kg goal. I didn’t end up reaching the 3% body fat loss, but I was already very lean, so it was as important to me. I lost 2% body fat still.
Attending The Genius Network Event
Now this one is very new.
I was following Benjamin Hardy’s course on Journaling and at one point he mentioned speaking at the Genius Network Event. I looked it up.
People attending this event ARE geniuses. WAY beyond my current level.
But the event is in November. I have about 8 months to become a better version of myself. I want to attend not for the status, but for the level of self-improvement I’ll have reached to get there.
“Become a millionaire not for the million dollars, but for what it will make of you to achieve it.” — Jim Rohn
Of course, this is shooting way too high. People attending earned it through years of hard work. Now here’s a kid who thinks he can achieve that in 8 months? That’s impossible!
And a co-worker confirmed the insanity of this goal recently. He’s not wrong. But that gives me the necessary fuel to reach for it.
“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” — Zig Ziglar
Conclusion
Because one person, a group of people or even yourself have doubts about your success, it doesn’t mean they are right. Prove them wrong! If you have doubts yourself, prove yourself wrong!
Never let the word “impossible” defeat you. Defy it. Plan your path.
Rid of the fog, and you’ll see that the path to the possible in fact exists, and you can achieve it.
Let these stories inspire you to achieve your most insane goals.
Aim high. Plan. Execute. Achieve.
Aim higher. Plan better. Execute harder. Achieve more.
Aim for the peak. Plan best. Execute perfectly. Achieve all.
You can do this!