Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done

by Mick Ebeling

What if you discovered by accident that you could change the world? Mick Ebeling—a film producer by trade, optimist by nature—set out to perform a simple act of kindness that quickly turned into a lifelong mission. In the process he discovered that he could, indeed, change the world—and this fascinating new book shows how you can, too.

On the cutting edge of the new "Maker Movement"—an outgrowth of the "hackers" of a decade ago—Mick Ebeling has found ways to create new, simple, do-it-yourself technologies to help people surmount seemingly impossible odds. With a bunch of nuts and bolts, a few jimmy-rigged web cameras and a coat hanger, he got a paralyzed artist drawing again; for less than a hundred bucks, he made prosthetic arms for a boy whose arms had been blown off in the war in Sudan.

From the beginning, Ebeling has dreamed big, but that doesn't mean his accomplishments have come easy. He's had to deal with the little voice in his head we all recognize—the skeptical, disbelieving part that says, "Sorry, this ain't happening." Yet he found the courage to ignore that voice and move on. And believe. And get things done. The first result was the Eyewriter, which Time magazine called one of the "Top 50 Inventions of 2010," a device that tracks eye movements and translates them into a cursor on a screen, then into paint on a canvas or a sculpture design. Later he travelled to the Sudan with the homemade prosthetic hand his team created and taught the locals to use the 3D printers—now every week another armless boy gets new working limbs and hands.

Fascinating, inspiring, and bursting with optimism and new ideas, Not Impossible is a true testament to the power of determination. It will motivate you to accept the idea that all problems can be solved—and that you have the ability to change the world and make miracles happen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Biography, Leadership, Psychology, Stem

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2015

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's alternate title could be The Audacity of Hope - but it was already taken. I have been blessed to present and share the epic poem, Beowulf, with my students. One of the most important "take-a-ways" from this story is - take the gifts that you have blessed with and use them to make the world a better place for your having been here. Ebeling's team faced the "Grendels" of blindness, voicelessness, armlessness and more and dared to imagine that SOMETHING could be done. The Not Impossible Lab mottos could be 'borrowed' from Nike: SAW IT SHOULD BE DONE- THOUGHT, JUST DO IT - JUST DID IT - HOPING TO JUST DO MORE.
One of my former students worked for a time with the Not Impossible Team - which is how this book came into my hands. From the book:

- "If not now, then when?
If not me, then who?"

- "Most specifically, what brought me to the chapel was a belief that their is an entity or a power greater then myself. Whatever your religion, whatever name you give to that power, that belief fills you with a sense of humility of wanting to strive to be better, of gratitude for what you have. It's wonderful for me to start my day with those feelings, because it gives me a chance to infuse the rest of my day with a humility, and gratitude, and hope."

- "He (Ebeling's deceased dad) exists for me as an ethical principle - one that he instilled very very deep down in me, a place he helped me create within myself that takes pride and pleasure in doing the right things, and in doing things right."

I love the idea that Ebeling sprinkles through the narrative - It's kind of selfish to do whatever you can for others....as it is ridiculous how happy and fulfilled it makes you feel. I couldn't agree more.

[Pam Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Touching. Inspiring. What true altruism and real philanthropy look like. Not the fake philanthropy of Bill Gates, driven by patents and his anti-open-source, covetous mindset.

"Dr. Galloway made more and more of these devices (inexpensive mobility devices for disabled kids), until a well-meaning colleague told him he had to slow down and let the patent process work its course, or he'd risk having his invention stolen from him... "I grew a lot of courage that day," Dr. Galloway said, "and I told him, 'the road to hell is paved with that kind of mentality.'" That day, he decided to give his invention away."

Bravo Dr. Galloway. And bravo Mick Ebeling.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of hearing Mick Ebeling speak at one of my work conferences in September 2015. His message was emotional, inspirational, and motivating - and his book "Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done" was no different.

This book documents the story of how Mick, a film and TV producer, set out to 'help one, help many' by utilizing the new Maker movement to create do-it-yourself technologies that are open-source and available to everyone. His story starts with Tempt, a beloved graffiti artist from California who suffers from ALS. Mick was inspired to help Tempt communicate with his family in a more affordable, effective way. He brought a team together that created the EyeWriter, a device that tracks eye movements to move a cursor on the screen, to help Tempt not only talk to his family but create art again.

The feedback and excitement around the EyeWriter (which you can build yourself using online instructions), propelled Mick into his next challenge - Project Daniel. Mick learned of Daniel, a young boy in the Sudan who had lost both his arms during the war. Amazingly, Mick not only put a team of experts together to 3D print arms for Daniel, he traveled to the Sudan and taught others how to 3D print limbs for other bombing victims. Help one, help many indeed.

I will be following Mick's Not Impossible Labs organization to learn more about the amazing things people are doing as part of the Maker movement. Technology is here to be shared, and here to be hacked, if it means giving people a better, cheaper solution to their problem. Mick's positivity shines throughout the book - below are some nuggets of knowledge and inspiration that I'll be taking with me:

A reminder of how broken (and profit-driven) our medical care system is:

The MyTobii device – the one we needed for Tempt – was running north of $12,000. We talked to insurance companies, we talked to the state, we talked to charitable foundations – and we got nowhere, and the days stretched into weeks, and the weeks stretched into months, and we got nowhere.

On turning a “no” into a “yes”:

It was always a matter of figuring out what their point of resistance was and finding my way around that, or under it, or through it. I can feel that in my bones. Some people call it determination, optimism, or a strong personality. It’s really just what I do: Suss out people who really wanted to say “yes” but feel they have to say “no,” and then present them the opportunity to take the “yes” path. Ultimately, people like saying yes way more than saying no. You just have to remind them. It’s a matter of rechanneling or refocusing their energy in the “yes” direction.

The art of getting things done:

Let’s be clear. When I talk about overcoming voice, I’m not talking about ignoring it or pretending it doesn’t exist. I am not fearless. I fear failure. And I fear failure a lot. But I teach this to my boys: When you’re feeling afraid of something, or afraid you can’t do something, don’t deny that fear. Don’t just pretend it doesn’t exist. Allow it in. Say hello to it. Get to know it.
And then kick it in the ass and move on.

On being a good manager:

Part of getting things done is knowing when you yourself are not the guy getting things done. A lot of managers need to feel like they’re in the center of everything, and they screw up the work because of their need to see their own fingerprints. But success comes from building structures that stand on their own, not structures that require you to lean against them in order to prop them up. I found the right people. I motivated them. I set the task in front of them. And then I stepped back.

It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission, but you get a lot more done if you don’t feel like you need either of those things.

On leaving a legacy:

In my view, we’re all rickety little boats, motoring across the narrow expanse of time that we have here. If you’re going to be successful, you need to leave a wake behind you. If you go slow and don’t leave a wake, then what’s the point? And if you have kids, it’s twice as important to make waves, because you don’t just want to leave a legacy on your own, you want to show them – by example – how to leave a legacy for themselves, too. So when it’s their turn, they’ll leave a wake, as well. I mean, they’re going to go through enough therapy for the bad stuff you taught them. At least you have to balance that out by leaving them some worthwhile lessons.

On adopting and adapting:

If you use the old business model, where you think in terms of progress and setbacks, you might go crazy and give up. But if you look at it from this new perspective – the perspective of a hive of workers all tinkering with a project in their own individual ways – and if you have the patience and the faith to let that work happen, then eventually they will reach the goal you always wanted to reach but never could have on your own.

You act the way you want to be, and before you know it, you’ll be the way you’re acting.

On taking risks:

Start with all the mini-risks you take every day. Saying hi to someone you don’t know, speaking up in a meeting when you have a different opinion from everybody else’s, or applying for a job that’s a little over your pay grade. All the petty minor things we think about and decide not to take a change on. We get so caught up in what we should and shouldn’t do, and when we translate that for ourselves, we create meanings around what can and can’t be done. These are not facts – they are conversations that we have in our heads so often that they solidify and seem like facts to us.
But if you create a different set of thoughts – whether you believe them or not, at first, if you just take another set of thoughts, positive, motivating thoughts that are just as valid as the fearful ones you had floating around in your head – then sooner or later (and most likely sooner) they will solidify as well. And those become the thoughts that guide your actions, in place of the fearful ones.

On grief:

A friend once described grief to me in this way: Imagine a wheel with just one spoke. Now draw a spiral from the center of that wheel, out to the edge. As you move along that spiral, you pass the spoke pretty often at first, but less and less often as you move further out along the wheel. That spoke is your grief. Each time you move around the wheel on that spiral, you experience that grief again; it remains intense, but it happens with decreasing frequency.

I also loved hearing about date night, something I also think is important in keeping a marriage strong and connected:

Over the course of the next seven years, a lot of things changed in our lives - Caskey and I moved, we had children, we started businesses, we bought a house. But a few things stayed constant. One was date night; the more complicated our lives became, the more important it was to have a ritual that reminded us that there was something beyond work by day and diapers and feedings by night. Don't get me wrong - I love my three boys with a passion that surpasses words or understanding - but at least once in a while you need to go have dinner and see a movie alone with an actual grown-up who you're actually married to and has seen you naked and still loves you.

Finally, there isn't one specific passage, but reading the horrific things that are happening in the Sudan made me stop and pause. I know I make jokes about my #firstworldproblems, but I try not to take my privilege in life for granted. I can't imagine being faced with such impossible odds for survival, but still managing to wake up and celebrate life... but that's what the people of Sudan are doing. It's a lesson I will take with me the next time I wake up and feel like I'm having a "bad day" because I missed my alarm or ran out of coffee.

Please check out the other incredible things going on with Mick’s organization at NotImpossible.org.

[Julianne Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely unbelievable, heart wrenching, inspiring book. The work Mick Ebeling and his team at Not Impossible Labs is truly incredible, and the stories he told in this book left me in awe.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of hearing Mick give a talk last fall. His message was moving, inspiring, thought provoking, and just a little convicting. His style was entertaining and funny. The book was similar with a little more detail. Lots of wisdom in this one.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, the author recalls a few experiences he has had doing things that seemed impossible: making a quadriplegic artist paint again, and creating robotic hands for war-stricken kids in Africa.



He shares his experiences as people told him that those things were impossible to do, and how he put together all kinds of resources, and convinced the most prominent scientists to help him with his projects.



 T is the cover and editorial information of the book I read:







This is the information in the jackets:

And this is the table of contents, moving dedicatory and a famous phrase from Henry Ford:

Finally, a few interesting fragments, just to  make your appetite open for more.

My takeaway is that "if he could, I can too"; and that with work, everything is really possible. I am glad those children have new arms, and that artist had a new chance to paint again.

I also have a blog! Here is the link: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com

[TR Upshur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book if you're looking for a little inspiration. Using his experiences, the author highlights several instances how when things change, plans are cancelled and life happens, you still have a choice... keep moving toward your goal or quit. This book isn't just about what happens when you keep going, but what happens when you focus on just helping one person at a time.

[Jacqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this account is very interesting but unfortunately unreadable. It starts out exciting but quickly devolves into the author's tooting of the author's horn about various issues in his life which stalls the story that I wanted to read when I picked up the book. A more ruthless editor could have done this one wonders

[Gus Scott-Exley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly extraordinary book that should be required reading. Incredible and inspiration start to finish.

[Aaron Mikulsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was awesome to meet Mick in Vegas at the Oracle CX conference. His presentation was inspirational, and I was grateful to receive a copy of this book. Here are a few take-aways:
The Ebeling Group calls themselves a Creative Task Force - part production company, part storytellers, part creative think tank. Not Impossible Labs is a for-profit company Mick started to try to solve medical problems that seemed to be unsolvable. He has redefined what it means to Do It Yourself (DIY) - changing the way we thing and the way we work. Mick and his cohorts define themselves as hackers and makers - fitting their talents together like a jigsaw puzzle. They create open-source ideas so everyone can collaborate on revising and improving. It’s moving from crowd-sourcing to crowd-solving.

Like the Billie Holiday song, “The difficult, I’ll do right now; the impossible will take a little while.”
What you believe is what you achieve. Ebeling says, “If you are always worrying about what-if-I-fail, you’re never going to give yourself much of a chance to succeed.” Saying Yes is a lot more fun than saying No. It’s about learning to take a leap of faith. W.C. Fields said, “Take a chance. Take it while you’re young. My uncle took a chance once. He jumped out of the basket of a hot-air balloon, and he took a chance of landing on a bale of hay. He didn’t make it...but if he was a younger man, he would have! And that’s the point. Don’t wait too long in life.”
What if you didn’t weigh the cons?
What if you didn’t consider the what-ifs?
What if you didn’t even allow for the possibility of failure?
What if the only limitations on what we do come from our own belief system?
What if nothing is impossible?
Say yes first, ask questions later. The average child hears the word “no” more than 400 times a day. Saying “yes” changes our psyche. Say “yes” more.
Commit, then figure it out.
“Learning to jump first and assume that the net will appear is built on getting beyond the fear of failure. You can follow that belief, or you can follow the fear.”
The Power of Tenses - talk about things in the past tense gives confidence that it’s already been done and success was reached.
Mick asks, “If I don’t do this, who will?”
His mantra became: “If not now, when? If not me, then who?”
He writes, “The art of getting things done begins with overcoming that disbelieving voice. When you’re feeling afraid of something, or afraid you can’t do something, don’t deny that fear. Don’t just pretend it doesn’t exist. Allow it in. Say hello to it. Get to know it. And then kick it in the ass and move on.”
Ebeling writes, “Part of getting things done is knowing when you yourself are not the guy getting things done. Success comes from building structures that stand on their own, not structures that require you to lean against them in order to prop them up.”
If you are going to be successful, you need to leave a wake behind you. You always want to leave the campground cleaner than when you got there; leave the world a better place.

Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, Les Brown, and Zig Ziglar all preached, “You can change your reality through the power of what you say to yourself.” “You act the way you want to be, and before you know it, you’ll be the way you’re acting.” Create a different set of thoughts - positive, motivating thoughts - ones that guide your actions, in place of the fearful ones. You can change your reality through the power of what you say to yourself. The most important thoughts to disrupt are those thoughts of failure.

Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Build your own reality!

[Thom Strim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't often connect with an author as I did with Mick Ebeling. Due to our similar experiences both professionally (as video producers, entrepreneurs) and personally (travel, risk appetite, family) I felt like we were kindred spirits. The authors voice is very strong in this narrative - I imagine him to be a California 'bro' and his broad optimism makes him very likable.

I read this book on the recommendation of a professional associate (he probably also made the connection between the authors experiences and my own) who is doing a lot in his own right to change the world with his sustainability efforts - so I bought it immediately and finished it cover to cover in just a few days.

The first-person narrative from Mick tells about his experiences creating low-cost, high-impact solutions for people with life-crippling issues (Lou Gehrigs Disease, Amputated limbs) is delivered as a call-to-action to the reader a-la "If I can do it, so can you". Within the first 20 pages I had called it out for being inspiration-porn. To be clear, it is. In another similarity with the author, I used to read a lot of this type of book in my younger days. From Tony Robinson to Stephen Covey to William George Jordan's The Power of Truth, I used to draw my motivation from feel-good stories. These days, I value pragmatic solutions and respect when people acknowledge that good deeds require good planning. To that end, I was getting ready to write Ebeling off as a guy who was too privileged to see his privilege but, somewhere in the middle of his stories, he won me over.

He repeated the same message again and again, and I've found it to be true myself. "It is the story that makes an invention [business plan/product/event/etc] compelling." He focuses on 'doing good for one in order to do good for many' because one compelling story is all you need to inspire investment (in whatever form time, money) from others.

The three stars I gave this book could easily be 3.5 but definitely isn't 4. It's a very light read and you come to appreciate the 'bro'-ness of the author but I feel like you might benefit as much from watching the video in 1/10th the time. That said, it is awfully nice to read a positive story.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw Mick Ebeling at a small conference recently and grabbed a book from him after. Mick is inspirational and I love the scrappiness to the Not Impossible mission. This book is a great glimpse into his world - one that I hope I can be a part of in some way. It's a great introduction to the genesis of Not Impossible Labs, and the things they're doing a number of years later (as updated by Mick at the conference) is incredible.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mick Ebeling spoke at a work summit and was incredibly inspiring. What he's accomplished and what he's working on now is truly fascinating. I bought this book because I wanted to learn more. However, I learned that Mick is a much stronger speaker than he is a writer. If you're not familiar with Mick and Not Impossible, then this is a good book for you. If you've already heard Mick speak, follow him on Facebook instead of reading this book.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was inspired after hearing the author speak at a conference in January so I decided to read his book. This guy knows how to tell a story and he definitely has a worthwhile story to tell. He has a unique perspective on what drives him to accomplish the "impossible". Highly encourage passionate folks to read this book; if it doesn't embolden you to tackle those seemingly impossible projects you dream about, then you lack a pulse.

[Divyesh Sheth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book of how an individual can make a huge difference in the world. Author captures the human essence of selflessness beautifully. Mick also has a gift of words and he weaves a compelling narrative of two f the major initiatives he had undertaken as part of the not impossible foundation. This book will restore your faith in humanity and will make you want to help solve some of the most challenging problems out there.

[Jay Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read.

1. Enthusiasm and an emotional connection to an outcome is a bankable commodity
2. A story and storytelling can power and fund exciting things that normal life cannot
3. A person can throw themselves to some amazing problems and solve them
4. A catalyst and nexus or connector can execute astounding things through their energy and commitment

Epic story, epic life, epic outcomes.

Listened via Libby at 3x speed. 8 hours

[Diane VanDyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly inspiring story about helping others and not letting obstacles stand in the way of creating a solution. All things are possible with the right mindset, discipline and persistence. In a world of greed, it is refreshing to see people come together to help others without pursuing personal gain or wealth. I hope I will start to ask myself, “If not me, then who? If not now, then when?” Thanks, Mick!

[slowreader90 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have seen Mick’s speeches, this is a really telling of them with more technical information. The work from him and his team are amazing. I’m glad I read this book. There are two reasons that made me put it at 4 stars: 1) I’ve seen him talk about the work they did. So in my brain, I knew what I was going to read. 2) There are references to moments of the time that was nice to think about the then period, but ultimately it threw me off during the reading and experience.

[Douglas R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring but not enabling

Amazing story and accomplishments but outliers like Ebeling are not like most people. The right place, people and time make amazing things happen. So this is a 5 star book for a movie on an amazing man doing an amazing things. But it's not as enlightening and usable as I had hoped.

[Patti Clifton]

If you are someone who is constantly thinking of what the next big idea could be then you will really enjoy this book and the enthusiasm of the author as he shares his thought on how to make the impossible happen.

[Kacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part motivational book, part just amazing stories of groups of people wanting to help others. We saw Mick speak live in Denver a couple of years ago, and I was so glad to finally be able to read this book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of an amazing story of saying yes. Hard to believe just anyone can make things happen but good to remember it has to start with someone saying yes. Or at least why not.

[X · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prolix.

[Patrick Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational, nice, cool ideas and concepts. Not usually my kind of book to read but I enjoyed it.

[Melissa Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved hearing him do a keynote so I bought his book... Enjoyed the keynote talk more than the book.

[Khizer Nawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most moving books I've read!

[Lingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

作者是open source的拥护者，针对小众，利用有限资源开发普通人可负担的医疗器械（不必担心大公司竞争因为市场不大）。help one，help many。他认为他的行为是为了获得帮助他人的愉悦感和成就感，并非纯粹的利他行为，这样才能长久。

[Jaan Liitmäe · Rating 2 out of 5]

TED talk would have been just enough;-)

[Marie-Sharrane]

This is an excellent book to help you remember that the impossible is NOT impossible. What are you going to work on to accomplish?

[Daniel Bastardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring story of resilience and creativity. I appreciated the author's candor in retelling his life story and the many challenges he faced to get to where he is.