The Limits of Possible

“The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” – Arthur Clarke

The Limits of Possible

Have you ever had one of those weeks?  There is a kind of week, day or year that all of us have in common.  It s a time when there is too much to do, or there’s a time when everything happening is just too difficult to deal with.  When that happens it is so tempting to simply give up; to quit, while saying, I just can’t do it!  It was in the midst of one of those weeks when I had to good fortune to be reading a work by Arthur C. Clarke.

Mr. Clarke wrote, “The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.”

These words immediately changed my point of view and reminded me that we are who we are, perhaps, more as a result of the challenges we’ve overcome than any other factor in life.  When I look back at my own life I’m able to see a clear path of choices that led me on trails that were a directly attributable to my trials.  Interesting how that works!  In that respect, our lives are a lot like that of a photon in quantum mechanics.

“As a photon makes its way through an arrangement of glass panes and mirrors, its path remains ambiguous.  It essentially takes every possible path available to it.  This ambiguity remains until observation by a conscious observer forces the particle to decide which path it had taken.  Then the uncertainty is resolved – retroactively – and it is as if the selected path had been taken all along.” Ray Kurzweil wrote in “The Age of Spiritual Machines.”

Like these quantum particles, we have choices to make in our lives.  And, sometimes the true nature of our path can only be seen in retrospect.  Knowing this gives each one of us the opportunity to stop, from time to time, and review just what it was that got us here; to this point, right now.  If you will make this a regular practice some encouraging things will begin to unfold before your eyes.

First, you’ll be able to see the growth you’ve made over time.  It’s impossible to do if you all you can see are the challenges in front of you.  So, make a regular appointment with yourself to retrace your steps over a period of time.

Second, notice that even though you have faced many trials, you’ve gotten through each one!  Only then will you have the evidence you need to see that you have the ability to conquer current obstacles as well as those that are coming to you.

Third, realize that your future is not set in stone.  When you make conscious decisions you will begin to force your world to resolve its uncertainty where your future is concerned.  It will indeed be as if the whole universe has acknowledged that this was the path you’ve been on all along.

Your future is just a choice.  So, look at your past, notice where you are in the present, and make sure you make conscious decisions that will allow you to see what your limits of possible are!