“When we were starting out, it seemed like some huge new obstacle appeared every day. No kidding, every day,” Debbie MacDougall told me about the founding of Southridge School near Vancouver, British Columbia.

This nationally recognized independent school was founded just a few years ago … without a big gift, without a wealthy patron, without a feasibility study.

“If we’d begun by analyzing the ‘feasibility’ of founding a new school, we probably would’ve stopped dead in our tracks,” Debbie says. “We wanted the school, so we just kept finding ways to bring it to life.”

When you have such a clear desire — and the persistence that goes with it — the resources available to you can expand in surprising ways.

Even more so when you connect with the built-in desires to contribute, to invest ourselves in society, to make a difference. When you strengthen those desires and show people a path toward the world they want, you can find a whole lot more support than you might first imagine.

So why let your initial hunches (or fears) about feasibility limit your vision?

Am I saying to simply forget about being “realistic” and completely ignore the obstacles, or the possibility of abject failure?

Well, I’m sure tempted.

How about if you just let “what’s realistic” take the back seat for a while? Start by taking stock of all the things you have going for you, and getting clear on what you truly want. Let go of the idea that your potential is limited by lack of resources, or by forces in the world, community, or the field in which you operate.

And, like Debbie, just keep finding ways to move forward.

Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17