In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus had his 12 Apostles. Each Apostle told his version about the life of Jesus. The lessons. The parables. The miracles. Now imagine if we each had 12 Apostles that told the story of our lives. Instead of the 12 Apostles, I call them the 12 Impossibles. Let me explain...
In our lives we all have overcome challenges or achieved successes in situations that we once thought were impossible. Have you ever asked yourself, how did I ever survive that situation? Or how did I ever manage to accomplish that result? Sometimes we shake our heads in disbelief yet we succeeded in spite of our fears and limitations.
So go back in time and remember 12 such experiences. I call these your 12 Impossibles. Look through the eyes of you at the time. Here are some examples of seemingly impossible achievements that people have made.
1. Surviving the first 3 months of Army officer training.
2. Travelling around the world on my own for one year.
3. Being be able to walk again after my car accident in spite of what doctors said.
4. Breaking a one-inch board with my hand after 10 minutes of instruction
5. Getting over the death of my beloved grandmother.
6. Completing a doctorate at my age.
7. Finding the perfect partner after a series of failed relationships.
8. Losing 4 stone and running a full marathon after being seriously overweight.
9. Getting through the labour pains of childbirth
So make your own list of 12 Impossibles. What is the story behind each one? What lesson did you learn? What revelations emerge? The aim is to use each of the 12 Impossibles as a measure of your growth over time. To remind you of your inherent strength. Too often we remember our failures. We forget the successes. Yawn. Ho hum. Nothing extraordinary you might think. What seemed virtually impossible at the time now seems easy. Yet there was a time when you were stressing and straining. Using a lot of concentration and effort. Like learning to walk, talk, read and write. All easy now but once were nearly impossible.
So when you are feeling overwhelmed and lacking confidence,remember your 12 Impossibles. Go through each one in your mind. Re-live the lesson. Restore the faith. Each Impossible is a testament to your courage and will to succeed.
Hirini Reedy is a Maori philosopher from New Zealand. A former military officer, martial arts founder, engineer and mystical thinker. He combines modern science with nature inspired principles as a path to self-mastery. You can read more at http://www.maori-secrets.com
