The Art of Impossible

Impossible is just a target waiting for your efforts, passion, and flow to catch up with it.

1. Understand the Power of Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation is the fuel that drives action. While external rewards like money or recognition can spark some effort, they aren't enough to sustain a long journey. Intrinsic motivators, like curiosity and passion, are more enduring since they come from within. These internal drivers energize us to go beyond survival instincts and strive for our dreams.

There are five intrinsic motivators: curiosity, passion, purpose, autonomy, and mastery. When combined, they create a powerful chain reaction. Curiosity prompts you to explore, passion keeps you engaged, and purpose ties your efforts to something bigger than yourself. Meanwhile, autonomy gives you the freedom to pursue these passions, and mastery brings the reward of improvement.

The journey begins with curiosity. Make a list of 25 things you’re curious about and examine how they intersect. For instance, you might pair an interest in sustainability with playing a sport, leading you to a passion for creating eco-friendly sportswear.

Examples

• Curiosity about nutrition and conservation might inspire creating sustainable food solutions.
• Tackling curiosity in science with a love of social justice could lead to innovative education programs.
• Autonomy in your schedule lets you dedicate consistent time to explore hobbies like art or coding.

2. Blend Passion and Purpose

Passion provides energy, but purpose gives meaning. Passion is born when you combine overlapping interests or curiosities. It creates a sense of excitement about a field or activity. However, expanding this passion into something purposeful connects you to a larger cause and amplifies your drive.

Purpose involves asking how your interests can address real-world challenges. You link your passions with problems that resonate with you, such as climate change or mental health. Aligning passion with purpose not only deepens motivation but also taps into the brain's social wiring, further boosting productivity and stress resilience.

For example, write down societal issues you care about, then see how they overlap with your passions. The merging of these gives life a more significant sense of impact, pulling you toward pursuing these goals.

Examples

• A passion for animals evolves into founding a sanctuary to combat species extinction.
• Interest in fitness and equality turns into creating adaptive fitness equipment for disabled athletes.
• A love for technology transforms into building affordable tools for underprivileged schools.

3. Set Large and Small Goals

Achieving anything starts with setting clear goals. Big dreams are vital because they steer your journey, but they need to be broken into smaller, more manageable chunks. The combination of large and small goals, often termed high, hard goals (HHGs) and clear goals, builds momentum.

High, hard goals represent long-term commitments, like earning a degree or starting a company, while clear goals mark daily progress, like spending two hours studying or writing daily. Meeting these smaller goals sparks dopamine release, making the process enjoyable and helping sustain motivation.

This method gives you a consistent roadmap toward success and leverages psychology for staying motivated, even during tough phases.

Examples

• Writers might set an HHG to publish a book by focusing on writing 500 words daily.
• A fitness newcomer could aim to run a marathon, starting with running one mile per day.
• Entrepreneurs can break business plans into weekly progress goals.

4. Adopt the Growth Mindset for Learning

Learning is essential to mastering any subject or skill. A growth mindset means believing talents can develop through dedication and effort rather than being innate. This mindset transforms challenges into opportunities for growth and invites resilience during setbacks.

Research by psychologist Carol Dweck revealed that people with growth mindsets activate their brains during difficult tasks, whereas those with fixed mindsets give up. Coupled with a truth filter— a method to assess the credibility of new information— learning becomes more efficient and less overwhelming.

Commit to continuously learning through quality materials like books, which offer dense information and cognitive benefits you won’t find in quick online distractions.

Examples

• Entrepreneurs with a growth mindset may take failures as lessons to refine their approach.
• Lifelong learners dive into dense topics by reading challenging books step by step.
• Professionals develop truth filters like seeking consensus among five expert sources before trusting new data.

5. Master Learning Through a Five-Step Process

Effective learning doesn’t happen randomly. The author reveals a systematic five-step process for exploring and mastering complex topics. It begins with familiarizing yourself with foundational knowledge by reading progressively challenging materials.

Next, connect with experts and ask detailed questions to deepen your understanding. Fill remaining gaps through further research and seek out opposing views to broaden your perspective. Finally, synthesize your knowledge by sharing it as a narrative, which enhances comprehension and retention.

This method not just equips you with new insights but also turns you into a critical thinker capable of navigating intricate problems.

Examples

• Reading five books on sustainability could help someone transition to advocating for greener lifestyles.
• Asking professors or professionals clarifies research for a budding scientist.
• Creating a presentation about artificial intelligence helps simplify its complexity and solidify learnings.

6. Unlock Creativity Through Brain Networks

Creativity isn’t just a spark of inspiration— it’s training your brain's systems to work together. Neuroscience shows creativity involves connecting the attention and imagination networks of the brain. While attention focuses on problem-solving, imagination allows the mind to explore new possibilities freely.

Another network, the salience network, determines which ideas deserve deeper exploration. Creative individuals often experience the world as constantly novel, resisting the brain’s tendency to normalize repetition. Cultivating these connections lets you spot opportunities others might miss.

Examples

• Artists blend reality with fantasy by toggling their attention and imagination networks.
• Entrepreneurs find innovative solutions by staying curious about unmet customer needs.
• Architects develop groundbreaking designs by challenging "familiar" structures.

7. Boost Your Creativity with Positivity

Creativity flourishes in a positive emotional state. A good mood activates the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which sparks “aha” moments of insight. Conversely, bad moods make us cling to familiar patterns, limiting invention.

Exercises like gratitude journaling or meditation counter negativity. Gratitude rewires the brain toward spotting opportunities instead of problems, while solitude amidst nature can boost creative thinking by removing external distractions.

Examples

• Writing ten things you're grateful for every day creates space for innovative ideas.
• Taking a weekend hike alone might inspire solutions to seemingly blocked work challenges.
• Meditating at the start of the day helps bring clarity and unlock new ideas.

8. Enter the Zone of Flow

Flow represents the ultimate human performance state. It’s the mental experience of being completely immersed, where time slows, focus sharpens, and productivity dramatically increases. Scientists know this state balances neurochemicals, creating a feel-good feedback loop while lowering stress.

Flow is achievable through a four-phase process: combat the initial “struggle” stage, allow time for release with relaxing activities, enter deep work to trigger flow, and finally, recover to recharge your energy. Dedication to this cycle dramatically increases the chance of reaching impossible goals.

Examples

• Surfing triggered flow for the author, allowing physical and mental recovery from illness.
• Writers crafting in uninterrupted time zones produce higher-quality work faster.
• Athletes practicing daily in sync with flow activation see faster skill improvements.

9. Consistency is Key to Achieving the Impossible

The path to accomplishing the unimaginable requires daily effort. Even if progress seems slow, compounded actions— being curious, learning, and practicing creativity— lead to breakthroughs. Grit, or long-term perseverance, ensures you'll stay the course.

Staying consistent also depends on scheduling tasks during peak energy times and celebrating small wins along the way. This builds an upward motivational spiral.

Examples

• Practicing piano daily unlocks growth in both skill and long-term passion.
• Setting aside two focused hours for fitness daily could transform a couch potato into a marathon runner.
• Entrepreneurs iterate on product designs steadily every week to iron out flaws.

Takeaways

1. Harness curiosity by listing 25 things you are curious about and exploring their intersections.
2. Use the 80/20 rule when learning: identify the small areas of skill or knowledge that yield the biggest improvements.
3. Schedule focus time for deep work daily to build habits essential for reaching flow states.