Principle of Possibility

Dr. Nika White • September 16, 2015

You have a better chance of accomplishing the possible than the impossible Gen 18:14 Is there anything too hard for the Lord?

The Principle of Possibility sits on the foundation of the Principle of Perspective in that this principle is an exercise of the mind. If you want to exponentially increase your odds of success then only spend your time, energy and money trying to accomplish what is possible. Do not waste your resources on trying to accomplish the impossible. I know some are thinking that is a small way of thinking. I know some are wondering, “How will anything great happen if people do not attempt the impossible?” It’s not about the size of the feat one attempt it’s about the mindset of the person attempting the feat. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t—you’re right.” If that’s the case, and according to the Principle of Possibility it is, then why not focus your attention on expanding what you truly believe to be possible to you and spend your resources accomplishing that ever expanding list of dreams? Most focus on accomplishing the impossible because they think it’s heroic or courageous to do so when in actuality they are setting themselves up to fail by approaching something that they have internalized as impossible. It may never have been done before, but rest assured the first person that does it will do it because they knew all along that it was possible. There are risks to setting out to accomplish the possible… there are no excuses. You see if you set out to accomplish the impossible you have a built in excuse that it was impossible, but if it was possible then you only can look to you and ask the question are you willing to pay the cost to make it happen in your life? If you have taken the time to read this blog then something tells me you are one of the few that’s willing to take the risk of attempting the possible, expanding your possibilities and answering with a resounding yes to the question of are you willing to pay the cost.

3 Tips to turning the impossible to possible

1. Faith in God: We fully understand that some reading this blog may not believe in a higher power. Our hearts go out to you because if your assertion is true then that puts the burden of survival and success solely on your shoulders. That’s a lot to have to carry alone. Without faith in God you can only achieve what you see is possible in your own strength. That is very limiting and burdensome and not something we would ever wish on anyone. For those who believe in God you must make sure you do not forfeit the benefit of believing in God, which is the assurance that a supreme power is incapable of failing. This understanding can be liberating as the pressure of living this life becomes heavy and even perplexing in our own human strength. When we figure out in our heart what’s possible for God, we then have the opportunity of truly tapping into what is possible for those of us who believe in Him.

2. Growth: Now that everything that you could even dream of is possible to God, you now have to wrestle with what is possible for you. Unfortunately, most of us only assess what’s possible to us based on our current limited talent, skills and knowledge. Consider what is possible to you if you grow! When we consider the fact that we can grow we began to ask ourselves questions like, “Can I grow into the spouse I need to be to have a great relationship or can I grow into the leader needed to start my own business, or can I grow to handle more responsibility in my career.” The answer is absolutely you can! Rest assured no one is born great at anything. It takes tremendous sacrifice and sweat equity to become great. It takes the mind to grow at a particular skill. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell, states that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. It is true that some are born with natural gifts that give them an edge, but it is also true that natural gifting alone is not enough. If you can embrace that it is possible for you to grow then you can be confident that it is possible to achieve whatever your mind can conceive.

3. Good Model: It is critical to find a good model because a good model makes whatever you are trying to accomplish possible for you. What constitutes a good model? A good model is someone that you can relate to and that you can see yourself in. This allows you to challenge yourself with the fact that your dream is possible for someone that looks like you, come from the social economic background like you, or any other challenge that may offer itself as a reason you cannot accomplish your dream. A model is so important because if you have never seen it done by someone like you, then you are doing the impossible. Remember the trick is to move away from the impossible and only set out to accomplish what is possible. Please note that you do not have to have a one on one relationship with someone in order for that person to serve as a model. Use books, biographies and memoirs of great people to inspire you to greatness. A good model will ensure that you never forget what’s possible for you.

Read more from The Human Shift on Substack, where I share long-form essays on leadership, culture, and how we work and live.

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