Not Impossible!

I recently read the book Not Impossible about graffiti artist "Tempt". After suffering from ALS, which completely paralyzed him except for his eyes, he rose to both communicate and create art again via the use of EyeWriter technology. Imagine if Mick Ebeling and his team of "can do" technologists called "Makers" had felt overwhelmed by the challenge and not pushed the limits of development. Tempt would have been silenced forever. Do a Google search on “Tempt” and familiarize yourself with the story or read the book which is hard to put down. It is truly remarkable. More than a personal interest story, Ebeling's book is one of self-help, determination and innovation shared across a unique group of people, including a victim of ALS. These guys don't live in fear of their own decisions but instead are making their own future and helping others along the way, as anything they build is posted on the Internet for anyone to use for free.

"And the sign said: the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls" sang Simon and Garfunkle.

Graffiti is free expression whose artists risk life and limb to get the word out. Undeterred, they produce their art regardless of society’s norms and values. The Makers have the same attitude; they build technology and refuse to get paid for it, snubbing their noses at the business worlds' norms and values. These guys take on what is believed to be impossible, make it happen, then give it away.

I have been working in startup, small and turn-around companies for the majority of my career. Often people I work with tell me how hard this is. For many the challenge gets the best of them and soon their career path leads them in a new direction. Complain to me about how hard something is and I am likely to tell you to read Lance Armstrong's book It's Not About The Bike, beating cancer is hard. Continue complaining and I will push the book Unbroken across the desk and ask you to consider the life of Louis Zemperini. Getting shot out of the sky and surviving only to float on the ocean for 47 days, then captured and put through the harrows of a POW camp, now that is hard. How about Shin Dong-yuk's journey from the political prison camps of North Korea to eventually settle here in the U.S. Shin is the only man to live to tell the story in Escape From Camp 14, real hard. Which brings us full circle to Tempt, whose birth name is Tony Quan. Still living, Tony lies in a hospital bed void of movement for more than a decade. He does communicate and paint though with his eyes. Can you imagine how hard this is? Lastly, the Makers, fueled by the promise they made to Tempt, developed technology in 10 days (that Dell computer tried and gave up on), is almost impossible.

So whatever you're working on, however difficult you believe it to be, pales in comparison to these true stories. Sometimes you just need to break from the mold and give the status quo the finger and try a different way. Just stay after it and surround yourself with the right combination of will, determination, people, creativity and hard work and you will succeed.

My best, Chris