You Can Do Anything

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You can do anything. Really, you can. I’m not kidding. You don’t think so? Well, if that’s the case, then I will quote Henry Ford who said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” You see, Henry was smart, really smart, and he hung out with Thomas Edison, which made him super cool, too.

Do you know that guy who walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls and then did the same thing across two skyscrapers in Chicago blindfolded? His name is Nik Wallenda, and he thinks he can do anything, and he is right. What about Steve Jobs and the whole iPhone thing? The engineers at Apple thought he was nuts when he told them they were going to develop a phone that was also a computer and music player with only one button and small enough to fit in your pocket. Steve Jobs thought he could do anything, and he did.

Same with Henry Ford and his pal Thomas Edison who never doubted they could do anything. Ever hear of the light bulb? What about those four-wheeled horseless buggies we all drive around in? I rest my case.

Resist getting bogged down

So why do some of us allow ourselves to get bogged down in our day-to- day outlines and limit what we can accomplish while others see no limits to what they can do and change the world by turning their ideas into realities? I have no idea; I’m not a psychologist. But I know sometimes as business owners we don’t always believe in all that we can accomplish, and that limits what we can do for ourselves, our families, our employees, our companies and, ultimately, for our clients.

Every day we go to work in our respective companies. Some of us are owners, and we’re our companies’ managers, leaders, administrators and salespeople. Some of us work in the field, doing the labor, mowing the lawns, plowing the snow and pruning the plants. All of us do multiple things, and some of us, if our companies are relatively small, do all of the above.

How much time does that leave us to be innovative thought leaders? Not much. Dealing with all of the day-to-day operations of running a business can chip away at our belief system. It can also rob us of the belief that we can do anything because we are too busy doing everything.

Reignite your passion

I wonder if Steve Jobs had to fix the copier machine when it was broken, or if Henry Ford got involved with every customer complaint. Do you think Thomas Edison spent all his time dealing with disgruntled employees? What about Nik Wallenda? Do you think he insists on being involved in every production issue during the filming of his crazy tightrope walking shenanigans?

I don’t know the answer to these questions, but I highly doubt it. What I do think is that they were laser focused on what they believe their companies or their brands could do and accomplish, and that is where they put their time and energy.

There had to come a point in all of their careers where they decided to become the leaders, innovators and visionaries they were destined to become. They had to take that leap of faith and believe they could do anything. We can do the same. We can do anything if we reignite that passion that drove us to start our companies in the first place.

Remember when you were convinced you could build something great? Remember those days when you didn’t let the day-to-day routine dull your dreams? Take time to think and tap into that inner voice. It’s in there, the one that says, “You can do anything.” Don’t let the day-to-day get in the way. It’s as simple as that and as complex as inventing the light bulb.