Summary

The article advocates for setting and pursuing seemingly impossible goals as a means to personal growth and achieving success.

Abstract

The author reflects on the transformative power of setting and achieving ambitious goals, drawing from personal experiences such as attending college in the U.S., starting a business, and moving to London without a degree. The narrative emphasizes the importance of taking action towards one's goals, using the concept of 'impact hours' to focus on tasks that contribute to goal attainment. The article suggests that progress is non-linear and that by continuously setting Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAGs), individuals can outgrow their current circumstances and realize their potential, aided by the compound effect and serendipitous events.

Opinions

The author believes that personal growth is directly linked to pursuing goals that initially seem unattainable.
Success is achieved through a series of steps, each building upon the last, rather than through direct leaps from starting point to end goal.
The concept of 'impact hours' is introduced as a practical method for making consistent progress towards one's goals.
The author asserts that the human brain's inability to comprehend compounding should not deter individuals from aiming high, as this non-linear progression is key to significant achievements.
Embracing randomness and serendipity is seen as crucial, with the author attributing pivotal moments in life to chance encounters and events.
The author encourages readers to view their potential as an assignment to be fulfilled, suggesting that one's fullest potential is beyond their current capacity and requires stretching beyond comfort zones.

To Live a Better Life, Outgrow the One You’re Already In

“The impossibilities of today can become the realities of tomorrow.”

I’ve recently been reading The Wealthy Garderner — a great book in the style of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, filled with thoughtful advice on life and personal finance from a father to a son.

And I stumbled upon the following quote:

I found that impossible goals led to personal growth, and my potential always stretched to meet the demands

It made me think about my own life so far, and the times when I faced (seemingly, then) impossible goals that became possible after I would start achieving them.

Goals seem impossible when you dream about them.

Go to college in the U.S.?

In 2014–2015, getting into a great U.S. university seemed a goal out of reach. I didn’t know English that well. My SAT scores sucked. I was just a regular guy from Russia, and I didn’t have a direction.

But I set that goal (with some nudging from my father) and achieved it, improving my English and becoming a better person in the process.

Quit college to build a business?

It was one of the toughest decisions I made, and it was scary. Like, really scary. But once I started acting on it, once I started making mistakes, learning from them, and getting back in the game — the process took care of itself.

Three years have passed. And I have a business.

Move to another country, where I know nobody?

Last year (that would be 2019), I decided to relocate to London with my girlfriend, who attended a university there and I decided to look for a job. I knew absolutely nobody in London. And did I tell you that I have no college degree?

But I knew I had no other option — my ass was against the wall, and I head to figure something out. That’s when I discovered Medium and started writing every single day and building a community. I also found a great (and remote) job at a startup.

But once you set goals, prioritize them and act on them — the process takes care of itself.

There is a concept in the book I am reading, called ‘impact hour.’

It’s an alternative to ‘hollow hour’ — 60 minutes, in which you do nothing useful. And ‘impact hour’ is the hour you dedicate towards achieving your goal.

You do what impacts the goal, and nothing else (yup, no scrolling Facebook).

This process never ends.

The impossibilities of today become the realities of tomorrow, if you have the guts to set Big, Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs), and act on them.

Life evolves in a compound effect — things are built on top of other things. What’s 2 to the power of 50? (Hint: the distance, in kilometers, from Earth to Moon). That’s compounding.

And because the human brain is so bad at compounding, you can’t imagine going from making $10 to $1M.

It’s possible to achieve anything you want because your progress is not linear.

But it’s a process that never ends. Today, I am making another jump.

I am slowly distancing myself from the business I spent the last three years building and transitioning west — with a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal to become a bestselling international author.

Is it possible now? Heck, no.

But I know that if I keep going at it, putting in the ‘impact hours,’ and trusting the process — it will become possible. But if I stay where I am now, it will never become possible.

THE WAY TO A BETTER LIFE IS TO OUTGROW THE ONE YOU’VE GOT.

Do what’s impossible

You’re used to doing what seems right and what seems reasonable. I get it. But of all the people I’ve read about, who achieved any sort of success — they all did what seemed impossible at the moment.

Whenever I had any kind of success (no matter how little), I did what seemed impossible. It’s not easy. I am always afraid to fail, just like you.

But I am more afraid of what would happen if I stop if I freeze, don’t grow, and never achieve what I want.

You can’t see ‘C’ from ‘A.’

Imagine you’re climbing a huge ladder, and each step has a name: from A to Z. The ladder is so big that you can only see the step you’re in and the next step.

That’s what life is.

You’re on step A., And all you can see is step B. You can’t see C. In fact, because you can’t see it — you think it’s impossible. And you’re right. You can’t go from A to C, no matter how much you want it.

It doesn’t even matter if C is your ‘passion.’

Once you get to B, you’ll be able to see what’s ahead. And then you’ll get to step C.

I CHOSE ONE GOAL BEYOND MY GRASP, AND I GREW INTO IT. I DID THIS REPEATEDLY.

Trust the soup

Luck, serendipity, and randomness play a much more significant role than you think. We live in a highly probabilistic world. Embrace that.

If I take a look at the most critical moments in my life so far — the moments that defined it up to this moment — most of it was pure luck.

I met 2 of my best school and college buddies because I just sat next to them on exams.
I got my last job because I met a guy at the airport, then forgot about it, and then texted him whether he knows anybody who might be interested in my services. A month passed, and he connected me to his brother — with whom I am now working.
And I met my girlfriend, the person who I want to spend my life with, at a Starbucks three years ago. I didn’t even want to approach her at; first, something prompted me to. Talk about luck.

The key takeaway here is always to trust the process. If you think something would be cool doing, do it. You never know.

Maybe this little encounter, or that little comment, or this simple email might change your life.

I’ll finish this article with another quote from The Wealthy Gardener (read the book, by the way, it might change your life).

YOUR FULLEST POTENTIAL IS YOUR DUTY. IT’S YOUR ASSIGNMENT. AND IT IS BEYOND YOUR CURRENT CAPACITY.

Set impossible goals, outgrow the life you’ve got now and go make your dreams possible.

As always, thanks for reading.