“The difficult I’ll do right now. The impossible will take a little while.” — Billie Holiday.

Sometimes, the reason impossible takes a little while is because you’re going to make mistakes. Others will see it, and to them, the mistakes — especially the epic ones — are proof that whatever it is is clearly impossible, and your continuous efforts as evidence you are clearly bonkers. Sometimes, it seems the reverses you encounter and the obstacles in your way are utterly insurmountable. And it is in those moments where there is only one thing that can redeem all of your failures and make the impossible achievable: your belief that it is.

If you believe, and keep striving to progress, then miracles become possible. The impossible is only impossible until it happens — at which point it seems to have been inevitable, to everyone. Believing in something when it’s all going swimmingly is easy. It’s no burden to be optimistic when there are no obstacles in front of you. But being optimistic and hoping and believing when everything seems to be crashing around your ears is when it matters most.

Fear and faith require the same effort: belief in something that’s possible. But you can only believe in one of them at a time. Which you choose is what will determine whether your future is one of miracles, or of missed opportunities and regret. And it is never too late to choose to believe in miracles.

— James A. Owen