I was having coffee this morning and enjoying the sunrise. My mind was quieter than usual (because the house was quieter than usual). And I was thinking about Will Turner who recently completed his first Double Ironman. (That’s basically swimming, running, and biking for 33 hours straight!) I was marveling—not only at his physical stamina and mental fortitude—but also at the fact of his having accomplished something that started as just a crazy idea. I wondered whether I’d ever set my sights on, and then subsequently completed, something as over the top as Will’s recent feat.
After going over a litany of accomplishments in my head, ranging from crazy cross-country adventures to successful professional endeavors, my mind hovered over something more outlandishly-ambitious than all the rest: My quest to start (yet another) business while simultaneously being a work-at-home dad!
At what point do our dreams go from seemingly-crazy, grandiose, foolish, and delusional—to inspirational, powerful, monumental, and life-altering? When do our wild ideas shift from “totally unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky” to taking action and implementing the first steps towards materializing our goals?
It’s the moment you realize your dream is, in fact, possible. Feasible. DO-able.
Now, taking on a Double Ironman or being a work-at-home dad might not be your idea of a dream-come-true, but I’m sure you’ve got some big ideas kicking around that haven’t even begun to see the light of day. (I’m not giving you any examples here; you know your secret dreams better than anyone!)
So how do you move yourself to a place where you can see the viability of your dreams? How do your shift your perception from “this is a preposterous idea!” to “this might actually be doable!” The journey begins when you identify the risks involved, and evaluate their impact on the prospective undertaking and on your life. Once these factors have been appropriately assessed you will have a much better handle on the feasibility of the whole idea.
Unfortunately most us don’t allow ourselves to get anywhere near that evaluation process because we doubt we could actually achieve our secret goals. So we make the sweeping decision that “it’s just impossible,” and we abandon the dream altogether before taking any steps toward achieving it.
The sabotaging culprit here is extreme doubt. Doubt prevents us from even seeing the feasibility of our dreams, much less going after them.
I’m not advocating a Pollyanna attitude in which you throw all caution to the wind—refusing to acknowledge the risk factors involved in any undertaking. I’m saying when doubt takes a prominent position in your process of evaluating any idea, especially one that could have a significant impact on your life, it can distort the reality that your idea is, in fact—doable.
The key is to utilize doubt in a balanced manner, not as a wet blanket of pessimism. When used correctly in evaluating a creative possibility, doubt can actually serve your process, and can help you determine if your idea is realistic or if you’re pipe-dreaming.
Here’s an example:
I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to run a business from home while taking care of a newborn with my wife away at work every day. I needed to answer some very specific questions before I jumped into full-time Daddy Daycare. Specifically, I needed to identify the unknowable factors. This was my process:
I wrote down all the aspects about which I either lacked answers or know-how. Following each concern, I added an action step and/or a good resource for information.
- What will be our actual cost of living with a newborn? (Talk to other parents who are good with finances.)
- How do I set up a phone/web based coaching model? (Interview a few successful coaches in my professional/social circle.)
- How do I prevent my revenue from dipping? (Talk to other successful business owners with startups.)
- Is my wife agreeable to this idea? (I’d better have that conversation with her TODAY!!!)
- How do I balance work with taking care of a newborn baby? (Google some books on the subject and talk to other work-at-home parents.)
- How do I get the word out that Will Turner and I are teaming up? (Brainstorm with Will and a few social media gurus.)
This kind of process serves many purposes, not the least of which, uncovers deal-breaking elements that are out of your control. For example, your prospective endeavor might require you to move your family to a new city, which might be unfeasible. It’s crucial that you identify these factors—and equally important you recognize the elements that are in your control; all of these things must factor into a sound decision-making process.
Once I took the time to assess and answer questions about the previously-unknown factors, I was ready to make the decision to either move forward with my plan, or not.
When I work with people who are paralyzed with doubt over one of their ambitious ideas—without exception, something magical happens when we determine the feasibility of the endeavor. Their whole outlook changes and they are inspired to take the first steps towards achieving their goal.
Recognizing the feasibility of any idea is KEY.
Feasibility breathes life into your idea. It creates the momentum needed to transform your crazy notion into something actionable—something you eventually DO! And your sense of possibility grows as you continue to tuck more difficult-yet-doable things under your belt.
Eventually you find yourself pushing the envelope way beyond the limits of what you previously thought was possible for yourself!
