When Pigs Fly - The Power of "Not Yet"
Why would a bunch of coaches read a children's' book called "When Pigs Fly" as part of a high-level coaching intensive?
Perhaps it is because it is sometimes the simplest stories that illuminate our own stories and help inspire us to create challenges and missions beyond what we’ve ever thought possible.
"When Pigs Fly" by Valerie Coulman is a beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of a cow named Ralph who wants a bicycle. His father tells him cows don't ride bicycles and that he can have a bicycle "when pigs fly." Well, Ralph really wants a bicycle! And he doesn’t know “when pigs fly” means it will never happen because it’s not possible, so Ralph decides to get pigs to fly. Through a number of challenges and obstacles, Ralph manages to get pigs to fly (in a helicopter he is the pilot of), and he gets his bicycle.
Ralph takes on an “impossible” mission: getting pigs to fly. Along the way, he’s told things like "Cows don't ride bicycles" or "Cows don't fly" or "Pigs don't fly." Each time, Ralph’s answer is simply, "Not yet they don't."
Ralph didn’t know how to get pigs to fly when he started, but he knew he’d make it happen.
This is the power “Not yet”: to be in the not knowing of how to get where you want to go and to keep going anyway. "Not Yet" is the expression of faith in a future that you are creating.
“Not yet” also doesn’t engage with the resistance encountered on the path to the impossible goal. We waste time and energy fighting with these obstacles rather than simply moving on to the next action.
This is a story of how the realization of a mission or goal requires you to hold faith and belief in an idea allowing you to persist in driving that goal forward in the face of continuous resistance.
To answer the original question…
Why this adorable children's story is interesting to a bunch of high-level coaches is that our clients also have "impossible" dreams they want to achieve. We don’t need to make this journey more complex than it needs to be and this simple story reminds us of the essential elements required to reach “impossible” goals.
Here’s what Ralph needed:
A clear, inspiring, and motivating vision for what he was trying to achieve: he wanted a bike (badly!) and needed to make pigs fly to do that.
A belief that it was possible or not knowing (giving up the idea that) it was impossible.
Disengagement from the resistance: “Not yet they don’t”
Taking action, getting a result, and moving on to the next action
What about you?
What’s the mission, goal, or achievement you’re afraid to start?
The one you’re afraid to talk about?
The one you can’t even say out loud to yourself?
What’s your impossible (“When Pigs Fly”) dream?
What’s the one action you can take today to move you toward that impossible goal?
Create a clear vision - write it down and share it
Drop the belief that it isn’t possible to achieve - take a stand for the possibility of achieving this goal
Manage resistance to moving toward the goal - internal and external - don’t engage with the obstacles
Take the next action
Are you there?
Not yet?
Keep going…
If you want to be part of a discussion where we explore our big missions and impossible goals, please join us for our next meeting!
