20 Nov Making the Impossible, Possible!

Self-control is Strength

“You can’t always control the wind, but you can control your sails.” -Dr. Bob Chope

We require power and self-control to work hard to achieve goals. This needs you to pressure yourself to do what is needed for long-term fulfillment against the whims of the mind. Therefore, self-control is a mental strength. The urge for short-term pleasure derived from a destructive habit pattern must be systematically subdued. If done daily, this can be exhausting to the mind! For example, if you want to set up a morning exercise routine, you’ll need self-control to resist the urge to get back under the cover when you wake up from the alarm clock!

The Marshmallow Experiment

In the 1950s, Walter Mischel, a researcher in Stanford, did an experiment popularly known to study the self-control of four-year-old kids. He’d leave the child alone in a room with a treat in front of him. Having told the boy, “You can enjoy this sweet thing if you like, but if you hold on for 15 minutes, I’ll come back, take it away and give you two sweets instead.” It was a no-brainer for some of them. It’s a sweet thing, it’s the source of pleasure, there’s nothing to think about, and eat it. For two minutes, some kids held on, but then succumbed and ate it. Seven to eight minutes was kept on by some children. And some kids kept on for 15 minutes and were rewarded with two sweets.

The research was conducted several years later to find out how the children behaved in life. There came out some very interesting facts. It was noted that the children with optimum self-control were also excellent in the studies. They had good mechanics, better social relationships because they were able to control their feelings and moods. On the other hand, the kids at the lowest end of the spectrum had been running into all kinds of problems without self-control. This led to the interesting observation that self-control, discipline, based on the virtue of willpower, is an important factor correlating to achievement in every field of human endeavor. 

Social researchers further analyzed this and found that skill in any field of human activity is directly correlated with two virtues. One is the intelligence, and the other is the willpower.

Achieving in Life

“You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” — Ralph Marston

If you want to achieve something extraordinary in life, it takes a tremendous amount of hard work, sacrifice, and self-belief. Human beings are the only mammals that can successfully select its goals and that is the result of 4 billion years of evolutionary success.

To be successful, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and you need to throw away the self-inflated image you carry in your mind. You need to stop the addiction of being in your comfort zone all the time. Dive deep inside and ask yourself “Who am I?” and discover who you want to be. List down the few things you are good at, and the tons of things you are not good at. You have probably built some skills over the years but, there are a lot of things you need to learn. Make effort every day to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Develop an intense hunger and a burning passion for what want to do.

Your body, heart, and soul should beat together and listen to your mind. Discipline, hard work, and good habits are an absolute must. You will function better and be more productive. But before you begin your journey, ask yourself “How badly do you want to achieve it?”.

Nelson Mandela, a leader that people from all over the world loved and respected immensely. He was someone who dared to do what was impossible. Mandela went beyond the conventional with his grit and perseverance, bringing about a peaceful transition from the white-dominated government to a multiracial democracy.

Think bigger – Way bigger

You don’t just need to think outside the box to do the unthinkable, but you even need to smash the box and get out of it. We also tend to put labels on us that limit our ability and stop us from doing good things and making them happen. You need to develop a different mentality in order to reach the point where you are liberated and free. It all depends on your mindset and how you perceive results and events on a daily basis.

To quote Bruce Lee, “If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it’ll spread into your work, into your morality, in your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”

Be willing to make sacrifices

“Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.”- J.M. Barrie

We all know Usian Bolt, in just 9.58 seconds, he covered 100 m. For people who have undermined human speed and mental power, how is that? Until it’s done, it always seems impossible. Just chilling with friends and watching Netflix, you think Usain Bolt broke those records? Day in and day out, he was training in scorching heat and enduring extreme weather conditions and working off his tail. He did make sacrifices once he decided what he wants to do with his life, until he got where he wanted.

Never ever back down

“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” -Winston Churchill

Your willingness to put in a relentless effort is the only thing that can take you places. You can achieve success in life when you refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss can only serve as motivation. You’re going to be knocked down and that’s all right. Seven times when you fall down, get up eight times. Don’t let the courage go down and fight until your blood’s last drop.

You might have heard that the most important thing is not even the accomplishment of your impossible goal; it’s who you become along the way. It is absolutely true! Keep going!