I’m sure you think: What am I talking about… What does this title even mean? Well, I’ll make it easy. Do you know the company “Not impossible”? No? Nevermind, I didn’t also until I met their CEO at Pink Elephant congress in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. The company name says everything about what that company does. They create products everyone said it’s impossible to create. This company is operating all around the world and its goal is to help people with disabilities to make their life easier. Their general starting point is Commit! Then figure it out.
As I listened to the keynote of Mick Ebeling I was deeply impressed by what they do. For me, they make a huge impact on the world and show how important life is. The keynote made me think – what is my role in this world? How can I help to make this world a better place?
My take-away “Commit! Then figure it out”
I really made this sentence stick to my head whenever I see new opportunities and I have no idea how I should manage or tackle them. Maybe this keynote also inspired me for the name of my blog “Try. Learn. Grow. Repeat” because it is nothing simpler than that. Commit to a goal or task and figure out the details later. With that, you will learn on your way and grow yourself to the next level.
And figuring out something doesn’t mean that you have to do everything by yourself. The world is full of experts and due to the internet, the world got smaller to reach these experts. So search for them, learn from them and make your commitment happen.
After I’ve heard this sentence I looked differently at my life. Too often I and people around me are saying “That’s not possible”. But what often is meant with this sentence is that it will just be a huge effort to get there. Have you ever tried to change that perspective and say, let’s start and see how far we can get? If not… commit, then figure it out!
My commitment without a clear plan in mind
I heard this keynote in 2014 and it still sticks to my head. In all this time I was eager to share my experiences with others but didn’t know how to start or how to do it. I started with the first steps in my team but figured out in 2021 that it is not the way I want to do it. Therefore I started this blog.
Commit! Then figure it out:
Help other people learn, grow and make the best out of their life. (commitment)
I don’t have a sharp plan in mind but to me starting a blog and sharing my experiences brings me closer to my commitment. (still figuring out)
You read it right, it took me nearly 7 years to get out of my comfort zone to start this blog. I always resisted. I thought that nobody will read a blog anyhow. So many other good blogs are out there so who will care about reading mine? And now I’m at a point where I changed my perspective. Even if only a couple of people are reading my posts, I might help already those people and fulfill my commitment!
You can see it is never too late to start something and especially learn by doing it. There will always be big rocks in front of you, but you will find a way to leave them behind!
Another example where I applied this principle: my love for cooking!
I never was a person who enjoyed cooking. I loved to eat, but cooking was always something I thought is impossible for me to learn. Up until I met my wife I was able to cook simple meals. After I met her, my love for cooking changed. I started to enjoy it, so I made a commitment. I wanted to be able to make an awesome lasagne that everyone in my family loves.
I had no idea how to get there. I was able to cook noodles with some kind of tomato sauce but not a lasagne. So I read some recipes, tried some of those, and after a couple of tries, I found a way to make an awesome tasting lasagne. It took some time but it was possible that I enjoyed cooking. And up until today, I like to learn new things in our kitchen, try new recipes (even vegan or veggie), and learn how different ingredients taste.
You can see this principle can not only be used for “work” stuff, it can also be applied to your day-to-day life. Let me know your commitments! Maybe we can figure out together how you can get there.
