Kay:

Hey, hey, Questers, Fri-yay. Also, episode 460 and October 8th. We have a Nelson Mandela quote for you today because I mean, come on Nelson Mandela. It doesn’t get much better than that on a Friday. He’s here to drop some serious wisdom. He says, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Shi:

You know, it’s just seven little words here in this quote, but seven powerful words from a very powerful historical figure and a major influence on society and the world. Someone like Nelson Mandela, his words are revered and should be with good reason and has done things that millions of people would have called impossible, helping to bring down apartheid in Southern Africa and so much more. Breaking down those boundaries and those barriers giving his life to the cause that again many said was impossible and then it got done. Just like he’s telling us in that quote here, no matter how long people say it’s impossible to you, or how many people say it’s impossible, it can appear impossible up until that final moment when it’s no longer impossible.

Kay:

I recently finished the book, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg. In that book, he profiles the racial movement in the 1960s here in the US for the end of segregation. He talks about how the simple act of Rosa parks refusing to get up from that bus seat in Birmingham, Alabama, that then led to the bus boycotts in Birmingham which then led to Dr. Reverend King being asked to stand up and speak on behalf of the people who were peacefully protesting, which then led to additional bombings, which led to more of King’s involvement, which led to so many of those things. In that moment that Rosa parks were being arrested on the bus, she probably, at some point in her life thought, wouldn’t it be great if there was a time where I didn’t have to move for white people on the bus, where I could sit in the front of the bus. Little did she likely know while being arrested, just like Dr. King when he had that dream. Likely he knew that it could happen but couldn’t see it until it did happen. That those small acts there in the beginning, really in the early fifties in Birmingham would lead to the end of segregation in the United States at large. Not the end of racism but certainly segregation.

Shi:

Steps in the right direction and this quote is obviously powerful in a civil rights sense, but it is very powerful for us in our own personal lives as we consider those things that we may consider impossible, or the dreams that seem too big, or the fears that want to swallow you. As Kay alluded to and mentioned there, those small acts being the way that we get from impossible to I’m possible are all those little steps on the bridge in between of making a decision, of taking an act of taking a stand, of doing something differently, of marching in the direction towards that possibility, which really has to begin at some core level with even just a shred of belief.

Kay:

You know, looking back on the year 2020, there are a couple of months in that time where I’m like, I do not know.

Shi:

I don’t know if this is possible.

Kay:

We definitely had some moments where we said, we don’t know if this is possible. Now, it’s done and we’re on the other side and it was possible, and we figured it out and we were creative. But everyone comes up against these moments in their life where the task ahead of you seemed so big that it feels so impossible. So no, you’re not alone. I mean, heck even this year we’ve had a lot of, no, it’s not possible moments and now being on the other side of them, it’s like, okay, I can see how that would come together. But no one is exempt from the feeling of it’s impossible.

Shi:

So, to remind you of what this juggernaut, superhero Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Kay:

Alright, guys, we’ve got an Admit It Quest today. Today we want you to just take a look in that mirror okay. Look at you. There’s something you’ve been putting off. I get it. We have to because it appears impossible. Maybe it’s writing the first chapter of that book or starting on the fitness routine or asking the girl to marry you or whatever it is that feels impossible. You’ve got to get in that mirror, admit it that maybe you are the thing that’s holding you back. Revisit this impossible thing, this impossible dream, and ask yourself who could help you. What’s the first step you could take toward making it possible. Sit on the bus today for your big movement tomorrow. Are you ready? Admit it with us now.

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!