It's Possible

Blood, Sweat, and Pig's Ears is all about doing things other people say can’t be done.  Growing up, my friends and I loved the Rocky movies.  The Italian Stallion always did the impossible.  Nobody thought Rocky could hang in there with Apollo Creed, but he did it.  He went the distance.  Then in Rocky II he defeated Apollo.  Maybe that's why I grew up ignoring other people's negative predictions.  It might just all trace back to Rocky Balboa.

When someone say’s, “You can’t turn a Pig’s Ear into a Silk Purse,” they’re saying you can’t do the impossible.  Fine, I get that.  But who’s to say what’s possible and what isn’t.  There are plenty of folks out there ready to pour cold water on your plans, whether you’re excited about renovating an old house, starting a small business, running for public office, or doing just about anything others judge to be extremely challenging.  What I’ve found is that when someone feels compelled to say, “You can’t do it,” what they are really letting you know is that they believe they can’t or are mystified about how you’re going to achieve your objective. 

I’m not a big fan of the word impossible, but I will share something now that utilizes that word.  It would be impossible for me to name all the times people have heard details of my house renovation plans and let me know with attitudes of authority that what I’ve described could not be done.  I’ve also had lots of support and encouragement from people who have been excited about my projects from the beginning to the end.  All the time, strangers walk by and say things like, “The house is looking great.  Keep it up.  We can’t wait to see how it turns out,” or “We’ve been waiting a long time for someone to come and fix this place up,” and one of my favorites was a man I had never met and only saw once.  He was bursting with excitement as he walked by and shouted, “You’re doing it man!  You’re really doing it!”  Apparently, I had converted him into a believer. 

But there’s a third category of people that seem to consistently migrate to each of my Pig’s Ear projects; people who are curious to know how I do what I do and how they can do the same.  I love to encourage other people to follow their dreams and although my writing will be exemplified with knowledge and experience from renovating Pig’s Ears, in many ways the lessons are applicable to anything other people think can’t be done.  In twenty years working in the construction industry and a decade renovating extremely run-down homes, I’ve come to believe that if someone tells you something is impossible, and you don’t even try, then they will be right. 

So, if you have a big, impossible dream, treat any obstacles as if they were Clubber Lang/Mr. T in Rocky III.  Don't let those challenges bust you up.  Embrace the profound words of wisdom uttered by Rocky Balboa and 'Go for it.'