It Couldn’t Be Done

How many times have you been told, it couldn't be done? And, as Edgar Best points out so clearly, "There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure". It is so true that when you are asking for encouragement about something that you wish to do, something that may seem out of the ordinary for those who know you, you can count on hearing from so-called friends that you will not be able to accomplish what you said you would like to. Some of these people will tell you that you do not have the skills; you are unable to dedicate the necessary time; you will experience failure because there is already someone else who tried the same thing but failed; and, you were never intended to succeed in your venture because you do not have the right kind of education or upbringing.

The situations just described, unfortunately, seem to occur with much too much frequency despite the fact that there are countless stories of people who have started with little or nothing, had numerous obstacles to overcome and yet succeeded. There are also biographical accounts of many who failed miserably many, many times but eventually, through perseverance, dedication and tenacity overcame every problem to finally accomplish their goal. I'm sure you read the stories of just two very famous men who demonstrated that one failure or many failures never stopped them. For example, there were men like Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln to name just a few.

Throughout one's lifetime, the experience of failure occurs frequently. And, if you think you are one of those people who have failed and therefore can't succeed, think again. You certainly have failed in the past but overcame this failure. How do I know? Simple. When you first started to walk, I'm sure you did not succeed in doing so the very first time. In fact, you probably fell many times attempting to walk. Did you give up because you failed?

No. You kept trying again and again until you succeeded.

Here is the secret to attaining success in many different areas. Adopt the same mentality you first used when learning to walk understanding that experiencing failure does not mean the end of moving forward. Let this poem, by Edgar A. Guest, inspire and encourage you to do that which others say is impossible!

Short Poems & Quotes / Famous Poems / Edgar A. Guest Poems / It Couldn't Be Done - in Poems of Encouragement

It Couldn't Be Done
By Edgar A. Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;"
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you’ll do it.

Joseph Morris wrote this about the poem, It Couldn't Be Done:
"After a thing has been done, everybody is ready to declare it easy. But before it has been done, it is called impossible. One reason why people fear to embark upon great enterprises is that they see all the difficulties at once. They know they could succeed in the initial tasks, but they shrink from what is to follow. Yet "a thing begun is half done." Moreover the surmounting of the first barrier gives strength and ingenuity for the harder ones beyond. Mountains viewed from a distance seem to be unscalable. But they can be climbed, and the way to begin is to take the first upward step. From that moment the mountains are less high. As Hannibal led his army across the foothills, then among the upper ranges, and finally over the loftiest peaks and passes of the Alps, or as Peary pushed farther and farther into the solitudes that encompass the North Pole, so can you achieve any purpose whatsoever if you heed not the doubters, meet each problem as it arises, and keep ever with you the assurance 'It Can Be Done'."

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