How to Make the Impossible Possible. Set and Achieve Impossible Goals.
Impossible Things
When something is impossible it can't be done or exist. If a task is impossible for you then you can't do it. A better way to look at it is that you can't do it now. Don't look at it as being impossible fever. People do things that were impossible every day. What is impossible today could be possible tomorrow. It is impossible for me to do push ups with my legs in the air but it will be possible in the near future.
Some things just seem impossible. You think it is impossible so in your mind it is. I tried doing one handed push ups and I failed. It seemed impossible. After telling myself I could do it I tried again and succeeded. It was not impossible for me to do the one handed push ups at that time. My doubt just stopped me from giving it my best try. It is important to keep an open mind so you don't stop yourself from doing your best.
![When I could not lift with 1 arm I lifted with 2 & lowered with one. I used negative training. When I could not lift with 1 arm I lifted with 2 & lowered with one. I used negative training.](https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc1MTI3NjA2MTAwNzYzNzQz/how-to-change-your-body-type-ectomorph-mesomorph-or-endomorph.jpg)
Setting Possible and Impossible Goals
It is important to have both possible and impossible goals. Possible goals are goals that you can achieve now. Impossible goals are goals you can't achieve now. Doing 100 push ups 5 days a week is a possible goal I recently accomplished. Doing 100 consecutive push ups is currently an impossible goal. I would need to train for a while before I could do it.
You need to be able to achieve your short term goals. They are the steps you can take to make the impossible possible. So short term goals should always be possible. Some of your long term goals should be impossible because Impossible goals inspire people to do their best and accomplish new things. Write down or type out your long term and short term goals. Then put the list where you will see it. People that write down their goals tend to accomplish more of them than people that don't.
My Impossible List
The list contains some of the things I accomplished that were impossible and some impossible things that I want to accomplish. I have accomplished the ones in bold.
- Meditate.
- Become taller.
- Cure my seasonal allergies.
- Walk up a mountain.
- Bike 14 miles to a beach and back.
- Bike 38 miles to a beach.
- Bike 38 miles to a beach and bike all the way back.
- Run 14 miles on my elliptical trainer.
- Do 8 handstand push ups.
- Do 8 freestanding handstand push ups.
- Do 100 push ups in one day.
- Do 50 consecutive push ups.
- Do 50 pull ups in one day.
- Do 20 consecutive pull ups.
- Do 5 one handed pull ups.
- Do a set of 10 one handed push ups.
- Do 5 consecutive finger push ups.
- Do 10 consecutive finger push ups.
- Do 8 one handed finger incline push ups.
- Do 8 one handed finger push ups.
- Hold a tucked planche for 6 seconds.
- Hold a tucked planche for 30 seconds.
- Do 10 tucked planche push ups.
- Hold a planche for 30 seconds.
- Do 1 planche push ups.
- Do 8 consecutive planche push ups.
- Slowly do 25 consecutive full ab rollouts with knees off the floor.
- Do the splits.
![I could not do freestanding handstand push ups. So I did them against the wall. I could not do freestanding handstand push ups. So I did them against the wall.](https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc1MTI3NDk5MjYzNTE4NTMy/how-and-why-i-progressed-to-doing-handstand-push-ups.jpg)
Do What You Can
You can't do the impossible. You can only do what is possible. So focus on doing possible things that will get you closer to accomplishing your goals. There should always be something you can do to eventually make the impossible possible. To accomplish impossible exercises people train. They improve their strength, endurance or balance.
To train to get better at something you do it over and over again. The activity becomes easier and it becomes possible to do more. Run on a regular basis and you can improve your speed and endurance. If you can't run yet then start by walking. If you can't do 25 push ups then do 12. If you can't do push ups then do incline push ups on a set of stairs.
A person told me they can't do push ups. So I showed them how to do an easy push up variation using a set of stairs. They were thinking about things they could not do instead of things they could. I can't bike 38 miles now. I can bike 20 miles. I can't do 100 consecutive pushups. I can do 25 consecutive push ups. Practice thinking about things you can do. Replace I can't with I can. Don't let the things you can't do now stop you from doing the things you can do now.
![Focusing on my forearms. Focusing on my forearms.](https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc1MTI1OTgxNzk3ODE5NDg3/how-to-make-your-skinny-forearms-bigger-my-forearm-workout-routine.jpg)
Focus
Working on a lot of long term goals at once decreases your chance of success. You are more likely to succeed if you limit yourself to 2 or 3 big goals. The bigger your daily to do list is the less likely you are to do everything on the list and the longer it will take to accomplish the goals. Focus on a small number of long term goals and accomplish them as quickly as possible. After you complete a goal you can move on to another one. Don't divide your time and energy between a lot of different goals.
I added more things to my daily to do list. My plan was to work on more goals so I could accomplish more in less time. It did not work out that way. Instead I barely accomplished anything. Every time I tried it I just ended up wasting time. Now that I limit myself to 2 or 3 big goals I accomplish a lot more. I am more productive and successful.
Don′t Be Afraid of Failure
When something is possible it does not mean that your chance of success is guaranteed. Failure is a part of life. People fail a lot. Don′t be afraid of it. If you fail then try again. That is how people succeed. They keep trying.The chance of failure should not stop you from trying unless there is danger.Take precautions if you need to. I often fail when I attempt to do difficult things. That is how people learn and improve.
The advantage of doing things you are not good at or have never tried before is that there is lots of room for improvement. I was not accomplishing much running 5 days a week because I was good at it. My body adapted to the workout routine I was doing. So I switched to jumping rope. At first I was terrible at it but that is why I was able to quickly make a lot of progress. My coordination improved and my legs muscles became stronger. To continue to make progress I need to keep trying different things.
Take steps to move beyond what is possible now.
Now
| Steps
| Later
|
---|---|---|
1 hour bike ride.
| Bike 10 minutes longer.
| 3 hour bike ride.
|
Run for 20 minutes.
| Run 2 minutes longer.
| Run for 2 hours.
|
12 push ups.
| 1 more push up.
| 100 push ups.
|
30 second plank.
| Plank 1 second longer.
| 180 second plank.
|
3.5 inches of belly fat.
| Lose 0.1 inches.
| .5 inches of belly fat.
|
Do the step on a daily or weekly basis. If you fail then try again.
Amaze Yourself
![I amazed myself by biking over 38 miles to a provincial park with 3 large beaches. I amazed myself by biking over 38 miles to a provincial park with 3 large beaches.](https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTc1MTI3NjY4Mzc3OTIwNjA3/is-exercise-torture-make-exercise-a-fun-activity-enjoy-exercise.jpg)
Set long term impossible goals so you have something to strive for. The long term goal is your destination. Set short term possible goals so you can take action. The short term goals are the steps you need to take to get to your destination. Keep moving towards your goal. Doing possible things makes the impossible possible. If you can't or will not take steps to accomplish your goal then it is not really a goal. It is a wish or a fantasy.
For years I wished I could bike to a provincial park with 3 great beaches. It became a goal when I started doing things to make it possible. I could go for a bike ride once a week and I could bike slightly farther each time. Sometimes I failed but It still became possible to bike 12 miles, 24 miles and eventually 38 miles. Biking 38 miles is not a lot for some cyclists but to me it was amazing.
Working on impossible goals is like walking to the top of a mountain. You do it by taking one small step at a time. If you set big goals and take steps to accomplish them then you can amaze yourself by accomplish things that you never thought you could do. Don't settle for what you can probably do now. Keep making impossible things possible.
Currently I am trying to hold myself in the air with just my arms for 1 more second. When I can hold myself up for over 30 seconds I am going to switch to trying to do 1 more push up with my legs in the air until I can do 12 of them. It will be possible for me to planche push ups and handstand push ups.
© 2014 Michael H