“What have you decided is impossible?”
This is the question I asked an audience of entrepreneurs recently, and was delighted by the responses. The “impossible” answers started out as limitations, but quickly blossomed into:
- Creation of healthy boundaries. “It’s impossible to do it all myself.” This was shared by a business owner who realized this impossibility early in her business. It spurred her to action to find support people to help with her responsibilities as a wife, mother and entrepreneur.
- Release of self-judgment. “It’s impossible for me to be a litigator.” An experienced estate-planning attorney voiced this in an apologetic tone, as if litigation was the only truly credible law specialty. By saying this out loud, she realized her false assumption, and the fact that it was holding her back: she constantly undervalued her own natural talent for her chosen specialty. By releasing this self-judgment she experienced an immediate jump in her self-confidence.
- Freedom from limiting assumptions. “It’s impossible to hire someone right now.” The underlying assumption that was quickly revealed was that it’s very expensive to hire someone. Once this assumption was exposed, the business owner quickly thought of several inexpensive alternatives so she could get help quickly.
Asking yourself “What have I decided is impossible?” is the key step. When you don’t explore whatever you’ve decided is impossible, these beliefs remain restrictive limitations. Once you call them forth consciously, you transform them into intentional actions that energize you and your business!