It’s a Great Time to Start an Impossible Project
“I encourage participants to choose something they want to create that’s far beyond their current sense of what’s possible.” — Michael Neill
I have always liked to take on challenges and pursue dreams that seem impossible to accomplish. I think it is the thrill of achieving the goal that drives me, and of course the feeling of completing something great. Last year, I came across a book that not only pushed me on to believe for more but has significantly changed my life.
I found this book by accident. I wasn’t looking for a new project. I was licking my wounds. I had recently been divorced and had a few failures under my belt, and I was feeling a little battle weary. I was listening to a podcast while I was painting in my studio. The podcast was rather uninspiring and even quite dull, but the presenters mentioned creating an impossible project and that one phrase caught my attention.
Do you believe in coincidence? Or divine timing? I do. I have found that there have been particular seasons in my life when at the exact right time, I have found or been given a book, that has deeply impacted me. It has even changed my whole direction. This was one of those moments.
I found the book on Amazon, Creating The Impossible by Michael Neill. I bought the digital version because I prefer the instant download. A ’90 Day Programme to Get Your Dreams Out of Your Head and Into The World’.
I thought about it, 90 days, three months, I can do this. The day by day process seemed achievable, and the chapters were easy to follow.
I come up with a brilliant idea every day, and usually in the shower. They don’t always work out how I want them to, but it’s fun to think about possibilities. The creative process outlined in this book helped me to give confidence to a single thought, what if I could ….?
Choosing Your Impossible Project
‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’ — Eleanor Roosevelt
What would you like to create in your life, in your work, or the world, even if you knew you could do anything?
What would you attempt to achieve if money was not an issue?
Allow yourself to think and dream about it, just for a moment, then answer this question; Wouldn’t it be cool if …?
Then answer it ten more times, until you get to the one answer that takes your breath away. This is the beginning of finding your impossible project.
There are achievable goals, and then there are impossible projects. I started with quite a list. Goals are projects that you can most probably achieve yourself, with enough effort and work. Impossible projects will need extra divine assistance. It’s the impossible one that you want. The one you think you can never achieve.
I started with the thought of writing a book of my journey home. Then I thought about travelling to Europe, but the one thing that seemed completely impossible to me, was to develop an online mixed media art course. This may not seem impossible to you, my son definitely didn’t think it should be, but to me it seemed a million miles away and so unachievable.
Besides the enormous amount of tech I would need to learn, there was the problem with facing myself in the camera, and this seemed way too hard to even contemplate. It made me even feel nauseous.
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” — Christoper Reeve
Facing Failure
“If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.” — Thomas J. Watson Sr, Former President of IBM
Why are we so afraid to fail? Perhaps it is the feeling of disappointment. We make such a big deal when things don’t work out the way we want. However, it’s impossible to learn anything new without making dozens of mistakes, maybe even hundreds, depending on the difficulty of the task.
The theme of week 4 was to embrace the feeling of failure, and the task was to do something that you are pretty sure you are going to fail. This was another significant chapter for me. I had been thinking about writing articles for a platform called Medium, and I was pretty sure I would fail at it, so this became my task.
I thought I could write four articles, and then I would probably run out of ideas. So if I did fail at Medium, I achieved the task for my impossible project, so really was that even failure? So I signed up for Medium.
Unexpected Results
I wrote my first article, ‘What It Really Feels Like Finding Your Birth Family’, and this was a bit long. So the next article, I wrote about the impact of finding my birth father and this one was formatted a lot better. I then read everything I could find on how to write on Medium and something unexpected happened.
As I kept writing, I had more ideas. I have always believed that creativity inspires creativity. Three months into writing on Medium, I decided that I was good at writing! Who knew? It become a regular part of my daily life. I wrote some inspirational stories, a few funny ones about managing this hostel and some articles about identity and questions of belonging.
What I realised was, with each step towards my impossible goal, I was learning more about myself, developing new skills and gaining courage.
This Simple Formula Has Changed My Life
This simple process has been so incredibly life-changing. On the way to my impossible project, I started writing on Medium, as one of the tasks. It was a task that I was sure to fail. Instead of failing, I have found a creative expression that has opened up another level of possibilities for my project.
The Ultimate Formula for Successful Creation
1. Show up and begin moving in the direction of your dreams.
2. Respond to what shows up along the way.
If you took this one simple process and applied it, you could achieve so much with your dreams and ideas.
‘Start where you are.. Do what you can.’ — Arthur Ashe
I knew that if I showed up to the problem and took the first step, at some point, the next step would appear. Momentum keeps things moving, and soon enough impossible becomes probable.
‘One of the reasons I encourage people to take on ‘impossible’ projects is that generally speaking, so much more is possible in life than we can imagine with our limited perception. But we are obsessed with being ‘realistic’. — Michael Neill
Don’t be realistic; live your life with extravagant courage.
The Next Step
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
There is always a next step, even the tiniest increment of change, will ultimately lead you to your goals. After writing on medium for a while, I began an online class for marketing your art. This course focused on your reason for doing what you do - your why. This step helped me to reestablish the core of who I am and why I create the way I do. It was about finding myself, and I liked what I found. It was this course that lead me to believe I could possibly create online art workshops that inspire and impact people’s lives. But I wouldn’t have gotten to this place if I hadn’t of taken the impossible project challenge.
I believe our steps can be divinely led, but we need to step out and take them. Each part of my journey had to happen for me to venture onto the next part, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had missed any steps along the way. Sometimes we can feel like some seasons of our life have been a waste of time, but it’s not always true. Some seasons are just the stepping stones to get to the next place.
Reaching The Goal
After the ‘How to Sell Your Art Online’ course, I signed up to a membership program that taught me step by step how to set up and film the online class. The tech has been a challenge and I yell at my computer often, but I rewatch the classes and Google what I don’t understand, until it works. Finally, after all the blood sweat and many tears, my online art class is up, alive and ready to view.
Join Me in the Studio…
I did it!! I achieved this impossible project, you have to watch the promo!
You Can Do This Too
A year ago, I had a conversation with my son about how sure I was that this project was something I could never achieve and today, I can honestly say, the journey was worth the struggle. It definitely was not easy, and as you read, it took many steps to achieve the goal, but I made it! You can too!
My first ever online art course is now on a platform called Skillshare. It is a membership platform allowing you access to hundreds of different courses. If you would like a two week FREE trial, here is the link
I would so love for you to see my art course and be inspired by my beautiful paintings, even if you aren’t an artist or have no intention of painting, you can enjoy the process!
I want to inspire you to have the courage to imagine possibilities for your future. It is a great time right now to dream about new ideas, the world has changed around us, and new heroes are to be found. It’s time you start your impossible project, and I wish you every success.
Froyle Davies
I’ve been a visual artist for over 25 years and now I tell my stories.
Let me inspire you with this beautiful free print, ‘Above the Stormy Waters.’
Cheers Froyle
