In 2008, I was broke. I mean, really broke. I had no clients, no savings, and a newborn daughter sleeping in a crib in a studio apartment that smelled like mildew and bad decisions.
Everyone around me thought I was an idiot for not "getting a real job."
Three years later, I was running a coaching practice generating $1.2 million a year.
Nothing changed except my choices.
Possibility Is a Choice
Here's what I've learned after 23 years of coaching people through impossible situations: the gap between where you are and where you want to be is not a resources problem. It's a permission problem.
You're not waiting for the right opportunity. You're waiting for permission to believe you're allowed to go after it.
I've seen single moms build six-figure businesses from kitchen tables. I've seen coaches with zero credentials outearn PhDs who wrote the books on their subject. I've seen people with every possible disadvantage outperform people with every possible advantage.
Why? Because they decided it was possible before anyone else did.
There's a voice inside all of us—quiet, persistent—that says "I wish I could do that." And then another voice, louder, that says "yeah, but that's not realistic."
The second voice is lying to you. It's been lying to you your whole life.
The 1 Percent Principle
Here's the framework I teach every client who's overwhelmed by how far they have to go:
Improve your situation by 1% this week.
That's it. Just 1%. Read one chapter. Send one email. Have one sales conversation. Post one piece of content. Make one decision that moves you toward your goal.
One percent seems almost insultingly small. But here's what happens: 1% daily improvement compounds. Over a year, that's 37x better.
I didn't rebuild my business in a day. I rebuilt it one decision at a time, every single day, for years. The same way you'd climb a mountain—one step, then another, then another, until suddenly you're at the top and you can't quite believe how far you traveled.
My productivity approach is built around this exact principle. If you want to accomplish impossible things, read that next.
Breaking the Mold
Most people are running on inherited programming. Your family had certain expectations. Your school had certain assumptions. Your friend group has certain norms.
When you start making different choices—bigger choices, bolder choices—the people around you will push back. This isn't a bug. It's a feature.
Pushback means you're doing something that scares the people who stayed small. It means you're breaking the mold.
My mother ran one of the first coaching businesses on the internet in the 1990s. She built it when everyone said it couldn't be done. When I started my own business, she didn't understand my approach. When I hit six figures, she was surprised. When I hit seven, she asked what I was doing differently.
I chose differently when everyone around me was choosing fear.
You can do the same. Not because you're special. Because you decided this is the life you want—and you started acting like it.
The Impossible List
I keep what I call an "impossible list." These are things I want to accomplish that seem crazy to me right now.
Every quarter, I pick one item from the impossible list and make it a reality. Some things take months. Some take years. Some end up on the list for a decade before the timing is right.
But every single thing on that list eventually gets crossed off.
Try it. Write down three things that seem impossible for you right now. Not goals—impossibilities. The things that would make you wince if you said them out loud.
Now read that list every morning. Let it haunt you. Let it push you. Let it remind you what you're really after.
Action Beats Inspiration Every Time
Here's the dirty secret about accomplishing impossible goals: you don't need to feel ready. You never will.
I never felt ready to pitch my first $3,500/month client. I never felt ready to launch my first course. I never felt ready to build a team.
I did it anyway. Because action creates momentum. Inspiration is just momentum waiting to happen.
Stop waiting for the feeling. Start moving. The confidence comes from the doing—not the other way around.
Pick one impossible thing on your list. Do one thing toward it today. Not tomorrow. Today.
Ready to Grow Your Business?
Join Wealthy Coach Academy — my $197/month coaching program where I help you build a business that actually works. Or start with a $4.95 starter class and see what happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my goal is actually impossible or just scary?
If it's impossible, you'll find no evidence it can be done. If it's scary, you'll find plenty of people who've already done it. The difference matters. Scary means you can model them. Impossible means you might have to invent something new.
What if I fail?
Then you fail. Failure is information. It tells you what doesn't work so you can adjust and try again. I've failed dozens of times. Each failure taught me something that made the next success more likely.
How do I stay motivated when progress is slow?
Track your 1% improvements daily. When you can't see progress, you're usually just not looking at the right time frame. Small daily actions compound into massive results over time.
What if my family thinks I'm being reckless?
Most people who love you want you to be safe, not successful. Those are different goals. You can honor their love while still choosing a different path. I've written about handling this specifically.
When is the right time to start?
Now. Not next week. Not after you finish reading one more thing. Now. The time you waste waiting for readiness is the time someone else uses to pass you by.
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About Jeremiah Krakowski
Jeremiah Krakowski is a coaching business mentor who helps coaches, course creators, and consultants scale from $3k/mo to $40k+/mo using direct response marketing, AI systems, and proven frameworks. He runs Wealthy Coach Academy and has 23+ years of experience in digital marketing. Learn more →