I bet this is a list you wouldn’t think is useful. What’s the point of making a list of impossible things?
I first read about the idea of an Impossible List on Thomas Frank’s blog, College Info Geek. He, in turn, learned about it from Joel Runyon and adapted the principles to his own life.
A top-level goal might be running in the Boston Marathon. But you’re not going to just be able to cross that goal off without chunking it down into steps that will get you there. If you’re a new runner, the first thing you might nest under that is completing a C25K program. And then running an 8k. Then a 10k, a half marathon, and so on until you qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Every new bullet under “Run the Boston Marathon” is a step that takes to closer to completing it.
The idea isn’t to list things that are actually impossible but instead to think about what kind of stretch goals in your life you’d be thrilled to achieve.
Ever since reading about Frank’s Impossible List, I’ve toyed with the idea of creating my own.
Fear Held Me Back
Fear of publishing a list of personal stretch goals for which I’d be held accountable—a public record of things I want to do, things I’ve done, and things I haven’t yet achieved.
That kind of exposure can feel scary and risky, but this blog is about doing the scary things anyway.
This list is a living, evolving piece of content, ideally updated once a quarter, or when I get around to it.
One Step Further…
Taking this idea one step further is pursuing something called an impossible goal. One thing that’s so big, so scary, and makes me nauseous enough that achieving it would mean amazing things for my life… And will also open the door to doing other impossible things.
Stay tuned… Big things are coming.
I love this! Some things really can seem impossible but that doesn’t mean they ARE; it just might take time, saving money, effort, or all of those things and more! One biggie for me is publishing a novel. 🙂
-Lauren
That’s a great goal! Have you considered participating in NaNoWriMo to get the bulk of your book written?
I’ve made bucket lists before, but I’ve never heard of an “Impossible List”–I love how this is broken down! You have a lot of inspiring goals! And I love your Airtable chart too. Do you mind if I link to this article in one of my blog posts about making helpful lists?
Please do! I would love for you to link to this 🙂
I love this so much! I too want to travel more and write a book. I truly believe we can accomplish anything we put our mind to.
Yes! All it takes is dedication and determination 🙂 (And also a plan)
It looks like you have some great goals!! Living frugally will help you achieve financial independence! That is one of my goals too! I’m also hoping to run an 8k! We’ve got this! Best of luck to you!
Thank you!
wow. I love this checklist, like for real!
Many of our goals are the same too! You can do it!
Thank you! I think you can make a copy of my airtable if you’d like to use it for your own impossible list!