The Repeatable Strategy to Achieve the ‘Impossible’
A Bible verse made me believe I can do anything (I’m not Christian)
As I looked down at my belly, I was sickened by the sight of myself — not a pleasant feeling.
Although my relationship with my body-image was extra unhealthy, it was true that I wasn’t a healthy weight. But I’d tried it all.
I’d tried diets I saw on the internet, I played sport, I tried working out.
I wasn’t in a good state in those years. When I drew the graph of my life, it seemed to trending downward.
Nothing helped my weight, and nothing helped my mood. I was ashamed of my external self, and even more ashamed of my internal self.
I started to accept that that’s who I was. This pit was where I’d nestle down and get comfortable.
That was me in my school years.
A young, overweight boy — riddled with self-doubt and mediocrity. Self-conscious, bad habits and bad morals.
I’m not proud of the person I was when I look back. But today, it’s a different story.
Sometimes, the most difficult step is the first one — and I want to share a story about how I took that first step — and how I created my own version of that quote that I live with daily.
The bible quote that opened my eyes
I was intrigued when I read the quote on Steph Curry’s shoes.
“I can do all things…”
It was a quote from the bible, I knew that. I quickly looked it up.
“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength,”
— Philippians 4:13
The context of the passage says that Paul was talking about the range of the human experience — having been hungry, and at other times well-fed. So, he wasn’t really talking about achieving ‘greatness’.
But something about the sentiment of “I can do all things…” really stuck with me.
Although I respect religion and practice bits and pieces of many — I couldn’t latch onto the “through Him” part of the quote. The quote feels like you need something external, in the way it’s phrased.
So I changed it.
When the impossible became possible
One day, I was confiding in my friend John about my struggles and he said something to me that changed the narrative for me.
You’re not a special snowflake. You can’t defy thermodynamics.
So I did the maths.
I looked into calories, macro-nutrients, and exercise regimes. I decided I’d give it one more shot — and stick to it this time.
I cut out soda, I portion-controlled my plates, and I stopped eating out. I consistently went to the gym, even though I felt like a fool. I secretly prayed it wouldn’t work so I could blame the world again.
But within a few months, I’d lost 8kg. It wasn’t the world’s fault. It was mine.
You know, that 8kg wasn’t the real breakthrough. This isn’t a weight-loss how-to.
The real breakthrough was that…
If I thought I couldn’t do this — and I’ve done it — what else is possible?
Remember the bible verse?
When my weight loss experience intersected with that quote, I had a real ‘before & after’ moment — where my life wasn’t the same afterwards.
I created my own version of the quote, one that resonated more with me:
“If I can do one thing I thought I couldn’t do, I can do anything that I think I can’t do.”
Or, more succinctly:
If I can do one thing, I can do all things.
The profound part of this sentence is that I really believed I would be fat forever. I believed it so deeply, that I don’t recognise myself in the mirror sometimes.
But that’s also where the beauty lies.
I’ve learned in my life that there’s nothing more rewarding than not recognising the person in the mirror because you’ve exceeded the limits you placed on yourself.
And it’s not just physical that I’m talking about. I’m sure we’ve both gone through profound personality changes, and that’s equally rewarding — if not more.
And the simple fact that I lost the weight — when I was so certain I couldn’t — is cold, hard proof that I can do anything that I believe is impossible.
And so can you.
To unlock your potential, find your grounding point
I hear these depressing sentence starters too often:
- I’m too old to…
- I wish I could do…
- If only I was the kind of person who…
But when you were a little kid, remember when you saw a letter in maths for the first time? You thought it was impossible. A letter???
(Funny note: At first, I thought the letters in maths corresponded to their position in the alphabet ie. c = 3 — ha!)
But then you did it.
You did the ‘impossible’ and learned to solve for x.
It’s not only maths. If you think back, there are more moments than you can count on your fingers where you defied your definition of impossible — even if you don’t know it.
- Graduating
- Finishing the marathon
- Getting out of a dark place
Even the simple act of walking from point A to B seemed difficult to you at one moment in life. But then you stumbled your way across the room, and now you’re an expert.
We’ve all got a grounding moment that we can cling to. Find yours and hold onto it. Treat it as your proof — your cold, hard evidence that you did something that once felt impossible.
If you can do that one thing, you can do all things.
Impossible, or just difficult?
When I’m faced with an opportunity, I remind myself of my version of Philippians 4:13.
A few things I want to do:
- Learn to surf
- Learn to play the guitar and
- Write multiple books
They seem so difficult. I have terrible balance, I’ve never picked up a guitar before and it’s hard enough reading a book — let alone writing one. They’re so far into the distance that they seem impossible — but so did losing that weight. So did walking. So did solving for x.
If I can do one thing, I can do all things.
That’s how I choose to live my life. And that’s how you can choose to live yours too.
Because the only thing stopping you from achieving the seemingly impossible is the choice between calling the challenge:
a) impossible
and,
b) difficult
Those two words are completely different.
‘Impossible’ is admitting defeat before you’ve even started. ‘Difficult’ is admitting it’ll be an uphill climb — but what worthy pursuit isn’t?
There’s nothing you can’t do. There is simply a lack of willpower, discipline, and consistency — but no lack of possibility.
From now on, re-frame your self-limiting beliefs. It’s you who put up those barriers, and only you can rip them down.
If you can do one thing you thought you couldn’t do, you can do anything you think you can’t do.
Thanks for reading! Want a happier and more peaceful life? 🕊
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