Lately I’ve been feeling impacted by all the negative news. Paris. San Bernardino.
I wondered, where is the uplifting, the inspirational in this world of messed up conditions? Then I came across the Not Impossible Foundation and Not Impossible Labs. According to their website, Not Impossible makes DIY, accessible, tech-based solutions for people around the world, and then powerfully tells those stories to inspire others to do the same.
Founder Mick Ebeling figures out how to use technology to solve absurd problems, and gives it away or finds affordable solutions. He takes action.
For example, he learned that many people in Sudan lost arms from war injuries. They can’t afford prosthetics, so the tasks of everyday living are extremely challenging. He decided to do something about it.
He flew to Sudan and figured out how to create 3D printed arms for a boy named Daniel. And then taught others how to do the same.
The mission of the Not Impossible Lab, is “Help one, help many.” By helping Daniel, and creating a video to tell his story, Mick helps many. The video becomes a “not impossible” bug that goes viral.
Reportedly, this is his process: First, start to believe in this mentality that nothing is impossible.
This fits right in with Ernest Holmes who says: Limitless power is at our disposal. By thinking, we can bring whatever we desire into our experience. But when we say, I cannot have and I cannot enjoy good things, we demonstrate limitation.
How much can we demonstrate? asks Holmes. Just what we can believe, accept, and find in our consciousness that is NOT repudiated by our denials.
So in Mick’s case, after believing that nothing is impossible, he looks for absurdities out there in the world, and thinks of solutions. He’s an idea machine.
Next step: disruption. He doesn’t just think about something...he disrupts. He doesn’t wait for permission...he takes action. That reminds me of our teaching that says, “Treat and Use Your Feet.” Be proactive.
Another seemingly impossible situation was that of Tony Tempt Quan, a graffiti artist living in a hospital, completely paralyzed by ALS, except for his eyes. He couldn’t communicate; he couldn’t create art.
Mick’s crew of hackers and artists created the Eye Writer, a low-cost pair of glasses with hardware that enables Tempt to both communicate and create art, using only his eyes.
In his book, Not Impossible, Mick talks about the conversations we have in our heads about what CAN’T be done. Change your brain to anticipate the positive, he advises.
Sound familiar? “Change your thinking, change your life,” says Ernest Holmes. And for Mick, it’s not just changing HIS life, it’s changing the lives of others, and thus changing the world, one small step at a time. “Use technology for the sake of humanity,” and “Help one, help many.”
And so it is.
