Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.

Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done. – Amelia Earhart

The world wasn’t always round, according to the ancient experts. But someone didn’t listen, and sailed anyway. He didn’t let them interrupt what he was doing.

What does that mean?
I like this quote, because it reminds us that we do not know everything. I have seen this before, and it can be fun to watch, probably a little less fun for the participants.

We often are quite certain that something cannot be done because we have done the math. We have checked with the experts. We know the science behind the phenomenon, and it simply will not work.

Ask Christopher Columbus or the Wright Brothers. You couldn’t sail that far without falling off, said the experts. Heavier than air flight simply disobeyed the laws of physics, said the experts. These things simply couldn’t happen.

Yet, despite the experts, or in spite of them, these deeds were done. Experts were proven wrong again and again. Yes, sometimes they were right, but sometimes they were wrong. And that is what this quote is about. Being quiet when someone is doing what can’t be done.

Why is listening to your convictions important?
This quote is, like many, two sided. From the standpoint of the person preparing to do the impossible, this quote is all about listening to your inner voice, doing the math, double checking the science, and then proving to the world that the experts are wrong and that you are right.

The other side is the so-called expert. When you are being proven wrong, you can either get frantic and try to save your reputation by dissuading the person doing what can’t be done, or you can be quiet and re-examine your theories and question your understanding of the situation.

New concepts, ideas, and ways of looking at things continue to evolve. At one point in time, there were just a hand full of elements, including earth, fire, and water. Then more elements were discovered. They were called atoms, as that was Greek for indivisible.

Yet we then found out the indivisible was in fact made of different parts. How? We followed the evidence, and the theory no longer fit. Experts proven wrong again. Now we know even those parts are made of other parts. Even theoretical particles are being found to be real. Don’t tell them it can’t be done, they’re busy redefining the universe.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Unless you have a LHC (Large Hadron Collider) in your basement, and are planning on creating the next scientific breakthrough in sub-atomic physics, you’ll probably have to set your sights something a little closer to home.

What have you been told cannot be done? Do you think you can do it? I’m not talking about personal levitation, or winning the lottery, but goals or achievements that a person such as yourself just won’t be able to accomplish?

What is it that the ‘expert’ knows which makes them believe you cannot do it? Is it based on opinion, or is it based on science? That the Earth was flat was once settled science, just as the atom was once considered indivisible. Lead used to be the densest material, until black holes and neutron stars were discovered. Science changes, so keep up.

Have you ever done something, just to prove the ‘expert’ wrong? Sometimes the ‘expert’ is just someone with a big mouth, who heard a rumor from a friend they have on the internet. Or perhaps they’re just a bully, trying to make themselves feel better by making sure you don’t do better than they can.

Then there is the flip side, when you’re the expert. That’s the actual wording of the quote, so let’s examine that. How many times have you said it couldn’t be done and then watched someone do it? From illusions (magic) to Hollywood stunts, all sorts of ‘impossible’ things appear to get done all the time.

There are even real things which are hard to understand or explain. People surviving for longer than expected. People in emergencies accomplishing great feats of strength or bravery. There are even people who break records or barriers.

It can’t be done is the language of the doubter, or the one who tried and failed. You never know what you can do until you try. And please try not to be the person telling someone else that it cannot be done. Urge caution against reckless behavior, yes. But don’t steal their dreams.

From: Twitter, @SelfGrowthBus
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/ameliaearh120932.html
Photo by Samuel Mann

Happy Birthday to Amelia Earhart, born: July 24, 1898.

July 24th is Amelia Earhart Day (freeemployeenewsletter.com)
Amelia Earhart’s Plane Possibly Spotted in Sonar Image (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
New LHC Discovery Impacts Physicists’ Hunt for Dark Matter (scienceworldreport.com)

Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.