how do impossible goals help you?
When we create goals, there is always an opportunity to push the envelope of what we have done before…
To challenge yourself even more, to aim that much higher when you set your sights on something.
In my Futurability Framework, there are two items that represent a spectrum of possible inclinations ranging from continuing the status quo to pie-in-the-sky pipedream: from uninspiring to unachievable.
Beyond either of those, is the Impossible Goal.
What makes a goal Impossible?
I learned about the idea of Impossible Goals and their potential from one of my coaches, Rich Litvin.
An Impossible Goal is a goal that is completely unreachable, especially when considering your current vantage point. As the name suggests, it is something beyond what is actually possible in the time and space given.
Given the nature of this goal, there is no action plan you can generate to get there. There are no “10 steps to fulfillment.”
Now, you might be wondering to yourself, ‘David, why in the world would I want to create a goal for myself that I already know is impossible to attain?’
The reason is, when you learn to work with impossible goals, you learn what it means to truly tap into the full scope of your potential.
Embracing an Impossible Goal takes you instantly beyond your predefined mental boundaries.
Does seeking out the impossible sound a bit more appealing now?
Let me show you how it’s done.
As I mentioned before, when working with Impossible Goals, we can’t just map out a step-by-step process. There’s no action plan to create. By nature, an impossible goal is something we’ve never experienced ourselves.
Therefore, an impossible goal is not a place to get to, but a place to come from.
How to create an impossible goal
It’s best to start with some goals already in mind. You probably already have a few for the next year or beyond.
Taking one of these goals that is already challenging and inspiring, try adding one more element to it that pushes beyond what seems possible.
This extra element is what will turn your goal into an Impossible Goal.
For example, let’s say you have a goal to make a certain amount next year – like adding another figure to your income. While this may be a great challenge in and of itself, it is probably not an Impossible Goal.
The technique here is to add something to your goal like, ‘I will make $XXX,XXX of money in 2023, and I will do it while taking every 4th week off from work’, well now maybe we’re getting more into your impossible range.
That last part is whatever would challenge you the most. Whatever would seem the most impossible to do.
Maybe you challenge yourself to add a figure to your income in only 9 months, or you challenge yourself to achieve this financial goal all while maintaining joy, fun, and playfulness in your life.
Make sure it is something you really want!
If you want to write a book and it feels like a 2 to 3 year effort, say “I’ll be a bestselling author by the end of 2023.”
This is where we start to work with the impossible.
I Have Created an Impossible Goal, Now What?
What do I do now that I’ve challenged myself beyond capacity?
Embrace it.
Try it on.
Start by embodying the Impossible Goal by asking yourself questions like:
Who would I need to be to make space for this goal in my life?
Who would I need to be for that Impossible Goal to become reality?
What traits, behaviors, or techniques would I need to start incorporating into my life in order to make this goal my living truth?
To better understand the nuances of being vs doing, check out this article I wrote and get into the mindset of creating who you’re being every day.
Along with the questions above, try journaling your responses to these:
What would I do, starting today, if I was ‘being’ the person who achieved this impossible goal?
What are the things I am not doing that the person living this Impossible Goal does every day?
What am I doing that is getting in the way of this goal, and how can I stop doing it?
The Imposible Goal is not going to happen, but we can imagine who we’d need to be or what it would be like if it was actually true.
The key here is that you’re not attached to the outcome of your goal.
I mean, after all, it’s impossible!
Rather than attaching yourself to an outcome, you’re holding yourself accountable to embodying who you have to BE as someone who has already achieved this goal.
Instead of focusing on what you are missing in order to get there, you are the living embodiment of the goal as if it has been actualized.
Vision 2023: Let’s Do the Impossible
Now that you understand how to work with your Impossible Goal, how do you keep yourself accountable to it??
This is where you go out and find someone who believes in you. Someone who can already see you as being the person who has achieved this impossible goal.
This can look like a friend, a mentor, a coach, or even a community of like-minded people who are also embodying the impossible!
That’s what I love so much about the Vision workshops I’m hosting this December and January.
It’s a community I’ve created where we work together to create a powerful new vision for your future that will inspire and energize you! This is where you get to take your Impossible Goal and run with it! Truly becoming more than you ever thought possible.
Sign up here if you’re ready to make the Impossible Possible in 2023.
You can also schedule a call with me to assess your Impossible Goal and how we will get you to being the embodiment of that goal.
2023 is about to become your best year yet! Are you ready to make this your living truth?
I’ll see you there.