I’ll never forget when Kevin Garnett screamed “Anything is possible!!!!!” in a post-game interview on June 17, 2008 just after the Boston Celtics won the 2008 World Championship.  I’m sure you’ve heard someone say “anything is possible” or “you can do anything you want to do” many times, but here’s the question.  Do we really believe it?  If we don’t believe it, why not?

The Church

When I was young, my family attended a Baptist church.  During the service, the adults in the family would go to the large area of the church with the pastor and listen to his sermon while we would go off to the kids section.  While we were there, we would usually start off with songs and then get into whatever they had planned for us.  We would color, learn Bible stories, sing songs, memorize and recite verses, etc.

During these lessons, I would wonder what is this all for?  Why are we doing this?  Usually there was some type of competitive game incorporating what we learned that day, so was I learning this stuff so I could outshine the other kids and recite verses the fastest in the class? Was I doing all this memorizing so I could impress the grownups with my whiz kid knowledge about the Bible?  What was the point?  I would ask adults around me these questions and they would respond by telling me that the Bible was a guide on how to live your life and that once I took Jesus in my life and learned his word, he would take me to new heights.  I would half-heartedly give em an “OK” and move on, knowing there was still something that wasn’t right.  Somehow, no matter what anyone said to me, the words and stories of the Bible seemed like just that – words and stories.  I knew where to find them in the Bible, but I couldn’t feel them.  I couldn’t connect those words and stories to me and my life.  I’ve just recently started to understand why.

I remember the most fundamental scriptures that were drilled in our head were “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me”  Philippians 4:13. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” Matthew 7:7.  Psalms 23, The Ten Commandments and of course Romans 10:9.

Throughout the past 3 months, I’ve been reading many books and articles on success, goal setting, spiritual enlightenment, discipline etc..  I find that the more I read, the more options I see to achieve goals I desire.  I’m beginning to understand and believe that anything is possible.  Anything. That belief has definitely come alive since experimenting with the Law of Attraction.  I’m beginning to believe that if I ask, I’ll receive and that if I seek, I’ll find.  Much of what I read about wealth and goal achievement directs me right back to the Bible and other religious books.  I’m starting to feel a connection with these words now.

The Power of Thinking for Yourself

After sharing some of the things I’ve learned with people I know, I now realize what the problem was and why what I was learning didn’t resonate with me before.  The problem was my lack of awareness, and the blind faith in people I cared about and trusted.   Ironically, the people encouraging me to go to church didn’t truly believe the words they wanted me to believe.  If people believe that they “can do all things through Christ”, shouldn’t they be living the life of their dreams? or at least heading in that direction?  Shouldn’t they be doing what they want to do?  Shouldn’t their life be filled with passion?  If they “can do all things” why are they settling for jobs they don’t like and complain about?  When I brought up the big dreams I had like wealth and global impact, I received responses like “unrealistic” and “impossible” or “crazy” from the people that have been a part of churches for decades.  These same people who I had grown to know, love, and care about told me things like “I’ve been in this world a lot longer than you have” and “trust me, what you’re thinking about doing is unrealistic and naive”.  I trusted and believed them before because they were partially correct in the fact that they were older and had been in the world longer than I had, and this is why I valued their opinions and pretty much blocked out the “I can do all things” part.  However, now that I’ve taken in this different input, I have a more accurate view of reality because I have done some thinking for myself.  I also understand that they weren’t trying to be mean or crush my dreams.  Their intention was only to help, and they were only trying to spare me pain, disappointment, and struggle.  Now I understand there is beauty in the pain and struggle.

I wouldn’t believe that anything is possible if I had just accepted what others had told me.  This is why I would encourage you to also think for yourself.  Consult with your reason, logic, accuracy and intuition.  Also take in different input.  There are people, books, seminars and articles just waiting to help you obtain more truth in your life.  When someone gives you advice or tells you that you should or shouldn’t do something, think for yourself.  Ask questions.

Does this make sense?
Does it coincide with what I know to be true?
Is this an accurate view of reality?
Is what I think I know to be true wrong?
Do I have an inaccurate view of reality?
How intelligent is the person that’s telling me this?
Has this person gone where I want to go or accomplished what I want to accomplish?

If you feel their advice is worthy of consideration, then try it out.  See if it works for yourself.  If not try something else.  This is what personal growth is all about.

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