How to make defining moments in your life.
I’m reading the book 10x Is Easier than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy.
The authors call attention to Michaelangelo taking on impossible projects.
That is, they were way beyond his current capability throughout his life.
This habit of accepting the impossible made him legendary!
For example, his sculpture masterpiece, The David.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY.
When he began this project in 1501, he could not make it a masterwork. However, when he finished in 1504, he was recognized as a genius—a reputation he has today.
He didn’t have the skill set but had the mindset to accept the impossible challenge. And because he took the challenge, he became legendary.
He was transformed…and so was the world.
He wasn’t born legendary, he made himself legendary and you can, too!
Challenging the Impossible Makes You Extraordinary!
I’m no Michaelangelo. However, I can relate to taking on impossible challenges and being transformed:
- Asking for a Date: When I asked Lolita (Academic top 10, Cheerleader) out to my high school senior prom, she was way out of my league–out of my solar system! I did not have the skill set or mindset –I had no game! She said yes! This may not seem impossible, but this is a big deal when you are 17. It was a defining moment of confidence-building in my life.
- New Job: The Training Director for the Denver Rocky Mountain News. I took on a job that was beyond my capability. I was recruited for this position. I turned it down twice because I was scared. I had to train over 1,500 people annually on dozens of topics. I had only been a trainer myself for 18 months. Thankfully, my future boss, Denny Dressman, saw a possibility I did not see in myself. I’m so glad he would not take no for an answer. That experience helped me to grow beyond my wildest dreams. This became a stepping stone to my next accomplishment.
- World Champion of Public Speaking Competing in the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking. I did not have the mindset. After all, there were well over 20,000 contestants worldwide. Thankfully, others felt I had the skillset. In 2000, I became champion. This defining moment gave me the confidence to start my own business.
- Long-Distance Relationship: When I first saw Sarika in 2013, I felt like a 17-year-old again. She was the most intelligent and beautiful woman I’d ever seen, and I was speechless as a speaker. We had an impossible challenge. We lived in different countries. She lived in South Africa. I lived in the USA. If you’ve ever tried a long-distance relationship, you know they usually don’t work. Impossible challenge accepted! Today, we are married with a beautiful four-year-old daughter, Tauriel (another Impossible challenge!). Again, this is another defining moment.
As a faculty member, I’ve accepted another challenge by joining the Robert Cialdini Influence Institute. I teach his global community of coaches how to use speaking as a tool of influence. Expect more about this in future posts.
How to Set and Achieve Impossible Goals
“Impossible Goals help you identify the ONE or FEW conditions with the highest possible upside. Those are the areas to focus your scarcest resource – your limited attention on.”
-Dr. Alan Barnard – One of the world’s leading experts on constraint theory and decision-making.
This process is from the book 10x is Easier than 2x:
1. Set your impossible goal. For example, income:
- Can you make $100,000 in a year? If yes, 10x the target to $1 million.
- Can you make $1 Million in a year? If not, you have your impossible goal.
2. Ask the following questions about your impossible goal:
- It would be impossible unless…?
- What conditions must be true to make a million dollars over the next year?
- How can I create the “unless” conditions to make the impossible possible?
3. Write down your “unless” conditions to make the impossible believably possible.
4. Focus only on these “unless” conditions and strategies and stop doing everything else.
To note: Don’t make this a mental exercise. If you’re serious, take intentional actions to follow the steps above.
Point: Setting massively impossible goals separates what works from what does not. In other words, you find the few paths that will lead you to your defining moment.
ACTION REQUIRED: Please share an example of accepting a challenge that’s beyond your current skill set and how it transformed you.
See you on stage,
Ed
