Then there is the idea of "impossible".
We live in an impossible world. So much of what we take for granted - at one time or another, was considered to be "Impossible". And, with time and consistent effort, every impossibility has yielded, and become not only possible, but commonplace. Think of automobiles, airplanes, computers, cell phones. The list is endless.
The most important aspect of "Impossible" is the fact that whenever anything is generally accepted as "impossible", it generally is.
There are a few ideas as to why this might be, the most obvious is that most people will not spend time addressing the impossible, prefering to address the easy and difficult possibilities instead. And so unaddressed it remains impossible. But once addressed, impossible frequently proves to be a mirage, a problem with our thought or approach. We've created our own limits and boundaries. Impossible, then, becomes the easy answer to the flawed question.
Here are a few phases that relate to the challenge of impossible:
Phases:
#0: Not even considered. Of course, nothing is possible until first there is the idea or recognition of it; it must first be thought of.
#1: Out and out dismissal- not possible. As noted above, the problem or issue needs to be addressed before it can solved. Hence in this phase things tend to remain impossible.
#2: Rationalized: Considered, but dismissed as impossible. Impossible things are speculatively considered, but dismissed as impossible. Circuitous thinking at it's best (or worst)...
#3: The Challenge. The Impossible is attempted, usually with poor results. But as much depends on the approach, the next phase is crucial. Here you should have in your mind the fleeting and grainy black and white film image of a man flapping wax, paper or cardboard wings leaping off of a pier....
#4: Reconsidered, reapproached. retried. The impossible is approached from a different angle. Now consider the more lasting image of the Wright Brothers.
#5: Perhaps failure again. If failure, redo step #4. [Note: often things end here because people keep retrying the same approach. Key is knowing when to vary approach and effort.]
#6: Success
Once conquered, you have the exception, you've disproved the rule, it is no longer impossible, and with patience and continued effort the exceptional will become the rule.
Find something impossible to do. Then give it a try. It might be easier than you think.
Impossible Quotes:
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
Christopher Reeve
"impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. impossible is not a fact. its an opinion. impossible is not a declaration. its a dare. impossible is potential. impossible is temporary. impossible is nothing."
Laila Ali
"Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish."
Jean De La Fontaine
"...why be an average person? All the great achievements of history have been made by strong individuals who refused to consult statistics or to listen to those who could prove convincingly that what they wanted to do, and in fact ultimately did do, was completely impossible."
Eric Butterworth
"Nothing is impossible to a willing mind."
Proverb - Monk Hae Chang