Chapter 1:
“The Power of Impossible Goals”
Many successful people will tell you that setting goals is vitally important. They might also tell you that, without a mission and the willingness to strategically choose and pursue proper milestones to guide you on your way, you keep holding yourself back. And yet, few successful people ever talk about the fact that goal setting isn’t just another item on your to-do list. Rather, it is a skill that will only serve you as much as you’re willing to invest in its development.
There are numerous goal setting models out there. People set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound), FAST goals (frequently discussed, ambitious, specific, transparent), DUMB goals (dream-driven, uplifting, method-driven, behavior triggered), CLEAR goals (collaborative, limited, emotional, appreciable, refinable), PURE goals (positively stated, understood, realistic, ethical), HARD goals (heartfelt, animated, required, difficult), and whatever other combination of first letters of a series of meaningful words someone has come up with to create the next memorable acronym in the goal setting world.
From my experience, it’s remarkably challenging for a lot of people to find the RIGHTTT goals (relevant, inspiring, genuine, holistic, tangible, trackable, transformational) that will help them become the best, and most powerful, version of themselves. If you’ve never heard of the RIGHTTT goals model before, it’s because I made it up on the fly while writing this chapter. I did that because I want to make a point. There are many great words out there that can be used to come up with some new acronym. Still, every goal setting acronym I’ve encountered over the course of my life has felt somewhat limiting to me. These catchy formulas can help us with validating and refining a goal that we already have in mind. Even so, none of them ever prompted me to devise a goal that I deemed powerful enough to boost my ability to break through inner and outer barriers that I bumped into.
Truth be told, if you want to come up with the most advantageous goal for yourself, the RIGHTTT acronym might not be of much help to you either. To gain the utmost leverage, you’ll need to come up with and pursue IMPOSSIBLE goals (impactful, measurable, purposeful, outcome-oriented, strategic, socially responsible, inspirational, bold, life-changing, empowering). Although, as you might have guessed, the fact that I just made an acronym out of “impossible” doesn’t mean that this is a particularly useful thing to focus on.
Beyond Realistic
Years ago, when I came across the idea of setting impossible goals for the very first time, I felt not only intrigued but also put off. When I set a goal, I want to reach it. So, why would I set a goal that, by definition, cannot be reached? What kind of benefit could I expect? Somehow, the whole concept sounded like a pretentious way of talking about setting “seemingly impossible” goals or “outrageously large” goals. Although, a little voice inside of me insisted that I was well-advised to explore the matter further.
Today, I consider the notion of pursuing impossible goals to be one of the most useful and worthwhile takes on goal setting I’ve ever encountered. Forming this opinion required some deep thinking on my end. I had to become clear about why I set goals and what these goals are supposed to do for me. But also, I had to figure out a way to determine how likely it is that a goal that I’ve come up with will actually make the kind of difference I’m looking for.
Generally speaking, people set goals because they seek positive experiences they otherwise wouldn’t be able to have. If we don’t expect a goal to get us what we want, we aren’t likely to pursue it. Then again, many people avoid setting goals that bear the potential of causing too much inconvenience. It’s downright normal for many of us to take issue with not reaching chosen objectives. Therefore, a lot of people prefer focusing on “realistic” goals that are more likely to save them the disappointment they associate with failure. Although, what “realistic” means lies in the eye of the beholder.
In my view, a goal is “realistic” when it not only helps me reach a specific result that I aim for but also strongly supports me with bringing about an overall reality that is aligned with my core values and priorities in life. When I set a goal, I want this goal to
- help me stay focused on creating outcomes that I find highly auspicious
- nurture thoughts and emotions that increase the likelihood that I will do what’s necessary to get what I want
- open me up for experiences that are truly important to me and help me set boundaries that allow me to avoid other experiences that wouldn’t be in my best interest
- help me stay away from any distractions that make it harder for me to get what I truly want
- make it easier for me to gain clarity about what I need to do to reach the goal I’ve set
- ensure that I draw a very clear line between my own interpretation of reality and other people’s interpretations of reality to remain unaffected by interests and agendas that are incompatible with mine
As I’ve come to understand, the most useful goals aren’t necessarily the ones we’re most likely to reach. Rather, the most useful goals will motivate us to do whatever we need to do to reach whatever and thereby create experiences for ourselves and others that are truly important to us. The most useful goals will make us take massive action. And, the most useful goals will support us with being the person we genuinely want to be. So, this is where impossible goals come into play.
Impossible Goal Setting
By my definition, an impossible goal is a formulated description of an intended outcome that, when I immerse myself in it, motivates the living shit out of me as well as gets me to do things and create outcomes that I consider to be out of my reach based on my current set of beliefs about myself, others, my overall situation, and reality at large.
Evidently, this can be perceived as a broad definition. If growing a pair of fairy wings and using them to fly the moon is on your bucket list, I won’t deny that “impossible” would be an appropriate term for that. But also, if this is an idea that motivates the living shit out of you, I need to point something out: the impossible goals I talk about aren’t meant to challenge too many laws of physics at once. Should you be eager to become an astronaut or just happen to be interested in learning out-of-body traveling, this should be impossible enough for most people. However, if you insist on getting those wings and want to rely on muscle strength for space traveling, you might want to find a person otherwise qualified than me and have a whole different conversation with them.
Nobody can actually be aware of every possibility that exists or will emerge in the future. In this sense, all impossible goals are merely seemingly impossible. I don’t recommend fighting lost battles. Instead, I want you to get all the skin you have in whatever game will allow you to be the ultimate force of creation in your own life, without depending on anything too much. I want to inspire you to find a big enough reason to turn yourself into a person who cannot be stopped. And, I want you to gain a different understanding of what it means to win no matter what.
If we achieve, or don’t achieve, an impossible goal is beyond the point. An impossible goal is not about the result we bring about when, or if, we arrive at our destination. It is about all the outcomes we create along the way as well as the miracles that show up in our lives in response to us opening up to new possibilities. Striving for something that most people, including you, consider beyond your reach, allows you to bring your definition of what’s feasible and achievable to the next level. So, on the one hand, it will get others to perceive you as more powerful, even if they don’t know anything about you and don’t have the faintest idea what your goals might be. On the other hand, it will indeed make you considerably more powerful as it allows you to upgrade an integral part of your identity.
To become highly skilled at setting impossible goals you need to think differently than most people. You have to stay away from predominantly focusing on what you’ve either done so far or consider normal to do and start thinking more about what you would do if you could do anything. Also, you need to make it a habit to come up with and pursue intelligent ways to contradict unsolicited and unwanted expectations others hold of you. Last but not least, you have to gather whatever knowledge and skills you need to make most peoples’ unimaginable your everyday normal.
In the following chapter, I’ll talk about some practicalities of how all of this becomes not only second nature to you, but indeed first and only nature. So, without any ado, I invite you to meet me on the next page.
