A couple of weeks ago I watched Tim Burton‘s new movie Alice in Wonderland and I would like to share some inspiring quotes with you as they apply very much to business and personal life.
‘Sometimes I‘ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.‘ (Alice in Wonderland)
As business owners and leaders we need to have the ability to see the big picture and have a vision to share with our people. It‘s great to believe in six or more impossible things before breakfast (I probably think about a million impossible things just before sleeping!). Believing in the impossible, makes us think outside the box and opens up new ways of looking at things.
Who would have thought that television, flying to the moon, air travel, running a mile in under 4 minutes, connecting with people across the planet over the internet was possible? No one! Until someone came along and proved it could be done. Suddenly what was once ‘impossible‘ became possible and now we couldn‘t even imagine these things being impossible.
No one believed that a human could run a mile in under 4 minutes until Roger Bannister did it in 3‘59.4 minutes in 1954. Soon after, many other athletes did. Why is that? Because they realized that it is possible!
Nothing is impossible. Things are only impossible because that‘s what we choose to believe. As Nelson Mandela said ‘It always seems impossible until it‘s done‘.
As business owners and leaders we need to allow ourselves and others to dream big. Be creative and hang out with the people that support you and your ideas, no matter how big, crazy or ‘impossible‘ they are. It‘s fun to think big and have lots of ‘impossible‘ ideas. Children are very good at that!
Walt Disney was a great thinker, his ability to imagine the impossible and think outside the square made him world famous. ‘It‘s kind of fun to do the impossible‘ (Walt Disney).
‘Am I going round the bend? Let me see, yes, you are. But let me tell you a secret, all the best people are crazy!‘ (Alice in Wonderland)
I love this quote, although I don‘t think you have to be crazy to be the best, but it IS ok if you ARE crazy.
Dare to be different, especially in your business, you don‘t always have to fit into the mould and do the same as everybody else. Think of ways you can stand out from the crowd and your competitors.
Lady Gaga stands out, because she dresses differently, Richard Branson didn‘t follow his big competitors, he revolutionized many industries and invented new rules of the game, Marilyn Monroe didn‘t look like a conventional model and actress.
I‘m not saying here that you should look like Marilyn Monroe, dress like Lady Gaga or take the risks Richard Branson has taken to stand out (although you could if you wanted to!). What these people have in common is that they dare to be different and so should you.
Think about it, what could you achieve if you did not think of so many things being impossible? What limits are you putting in the way of your success? Why not reach for the impossible!
To Your Success,
Franziska Iseli-Hall