Impossible....but is it really?

It's IMPOSSIBLE for me..... 

This is what one of my gorgeous 6-year-old students said to me one day in class last week, in regards to completing an art task. 

* What do you say when kids tell you that things are impossible?

* Do you use our standard response of "Nothing is impossible - just give it a go"?

* How do your kids respond to that?

* Do you find it effective enough for them to shift their thinking?

Personally, I have found that when I use that phrase alone, my kids still appear frustrated with whatever situation they are in because all I have done, essentially, is told them they were wrong and just to get on with it.

Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying this...

But here is my CHALLENGE to you...

Can you have a conversation or ask a different question to elicit a different response that is more powerful for your kids in any situation? 

Through my conversation with Master 6, I asked him...

"What are you focusing on that makes you tell your brain that completing this is impossible?"

After some thought, he replied, that it was the part that was unfinished. (Mind you...at this point, he had completed 3/4 of an art piece and was innovative and fantastic!)

So my next question was this...

"What do you need to focus on to realise that completing this is actually possible?"

"What are you missing?"

And this is what I love about kids....they constantly surprise me!

His response was - "All the rest that I have done already."

YES!!!

I asked him what he thought of what he had done so far....and he said, with a big smile, it's pretty good! And it really was!

So then we had a discussion about his challenges around the task and his options for completing it. 

"What is something that might help you get it finished?"

He came up with a couple of different solutions - keep persisting, giving his best, ask a friend to help, remembering it doesn't have to be perfect. All good responses! So he picked one and off he went to get it done!

After completing the task, I asked him if it was actually impossible like he originally thought? 

Of course, the answer was no!

It is not just about telling kids that 'nothing is impossible'.

It is about EMPOWERING them with the options they have and showing them how to WHAT TO FOCUS ON & HOW TO SHIFT THEIR FOCUS!

We all know, as adults, that really....we can do ANYTHING at all if we are prepared to try and fail and learn, over and over again! Most adults don't usually like to take those kinds of risks and so we say...'Oh, that is impossible for me!' 

My whole interaction with Master 6 reminded me of the line from 'The Princess Bride'

"Inconceivable Impossible: I do not think it means what you think it means!"

Things always seem impossible until they are done. 

* What do YOU focus on when things are challenging? 

* What do you SAY TO YOURSELF when things are challenging?

* Do you find yourself saying 'This is impossible' because it seems easier to say that than persist at a difficult task?

* What is something you can do this week to shift your thinking on something you find challenging?

I wonder what the world would be like if Walt Disney had said 'It's impossible for me'? 

Until next week....have a conscious and mindful week!

Clarissa xo