I’ve been setting big goals for a long time. And many times, I’ve been chasing more than one at once—building a business, raising four kids, training hard, and pushing myself physically.
But I’ve learned that the goals that really change you aren’t the reasonable ones. They’re the ones that expose your habits, your discipline, and your excuses. Especially in fitness, the real value isn’t the result—it’s the version of you required to get there.
“Impossible” fitness goals matter. My Takeaways below:
— Impossible goals require an identity shift: If your current habits can support the goal, it’s probably too small. The goals that matter force you to change how you operate day to day. I ran the Marathon des Sables (https://marathondessables.com/). The run was hard, but the lessons learned from training in the heat and learning how to complete a multiday event were game changers. So much so that Rule #1 of The Fantastic Life is from the race.
— “Realistic” goals protect comfort: Safe goals don’t demand much. Unrealistic ones force you to raise your standards and stay consistent when motivation fades. Running my business, being one of the top-producing brokers at Lee, keeping my wife happy, raising four kids, and hiking the Arizona Trail all seemed impossible – until it wasn’t. I realized I could have “5 resumes” that got better every year –and yes, another Fantastic Life rule was born.
–Think from the goal backward: Ask yourself who you’d have to become to achieve it, then start living that way today. One of my non-negotiables is getting up no later than 4:00 a.m. to hike and watch the sunrise while the rest of the world is still asleep. I now get 250-300 sunrises a year, which is now normalized. The sunrise is one thing, getting up early, making each day new….that makes all the difference.
I’ve found that even when you fall short of the exact goal, you still win. You gain confidence, resilience, and a clearer understanding of what you’re capable of. Set goals that force you to grow—that is how you live a Fantastic Life.
The Fantastic Life Rule #6
Set Goals
Set goals big enough to require a new version of you. If your current habits can hit the target, the target is too small—pick the goal that exposes your discipline, your excuses, and your standards, then become the person who can do it.
How Pursuing One Impossible Fitness Goal Will Transform Who You Are (Even If You Fail)
Why outrageous physical challenges rewire your identity, beliefs, and life — and how to choose your impossible goal
By: Nicole Linke
Achieving my “impossible goal” for 2025 — finishing CCC UTMB. Picture by “Der Sportfotograf”
I take a deep breath as I fasten the straps of my running pack and look down on the forest. A mix of green, yellow, and red stretched out before me. The beauty of the landscape and stillness around are friendly reminders of why I chose to call this place my new home.
“490 kilometers,” I think. “You really want to run 490 kilometers.”
I grin and continue moving. The deep mud makes running challenging, but I try to relax by telling myself that this is trail running. And this is what I chose to do. In fact, this is precisely the reason I moved here. It wasn’t because I had a new job in the area or because I found the love of my life, who happens to live here.
No. I came because it seemed like the next logical step I needed to take if I wanted to make more of my seemingly impossible running dreams come true. And the next is finishing the Pheidippides Authentic Run. A 490-kilometer run that traces the footsteps of the ancient Greek messenger Pheidippides, whose story inspired the modern Marathon.
The current me isn’t capable of such a feat. But I trust that the future me will be. Why do I believe that? Because I have achieved seemingly impossible fitness goals before. Each required letting go of most of my habits, routines, and mindsets, and undergoing a transformation that positively impacted all aspects of my life.
I have transformed from the “unathletic kid” who was bullied and faked illness to avoid PE class to someone with multiple ultramarathon podiums (including a win). And from a lifelong flatlander who only started mountain trail running in 2024 to someone who finished CCC UTMB (one of the most prestigious trail ultramarathons) one year later.
And the most important lesson I have learned through this adventure is that outrageous physical goals don’t just change your body. They completely rewire your identity, your beliefs, and your life.
That’s why I believe everyone should pick one impossible physical challenge at least once in their life. Not to prove something to others. Not for the Instagram post. But because of who you must become to even attempt it.
What Are Impossible Fitness Goals and Why Should You Pursue One?
On my way to achieving the “impossible” goal of finishing CCC UTMB. Picture by “Der Sportfotograf”
Most fitness advice tells you to set “SMART” goals — specific, measurable,,, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. But here’s the problem with “realistic” and “achievable”: they’re designed to keep you comfortable.
You can hit a realistic goal without changing much about who you are. And when things get tough — when the alarm goes off on a cold morning or your motivation wanes — realistic goals don’t inspire you to push through.
They’re not big enough to demand transformation.
Just think about it. Everyone can lose weight and “get in shape.” But how many people can get into bodybuilding stage shape? Becoming a bodybuilding competitor requires a much different mindset, lifestyle, and identity than becoming someone who “works out to stay in shape.”
The seemingly impossible goal of getting on a bodybuilding stage requires you to think and act on a completely different level.
Impossible fitness goals require a transformation. Graphic by Nicole Linke
But maybe you don’t care as much about looks and more about performance — like I do. When I decided to get back into running in 2021, I wasn’t interested in racing road marathons. I had run the marathon distance in training a few years prior, so I knew I could cover it.
And running a faster marathon? That goal didn’t appeal to me. I was inspired by the adventure and the complexity of preparing for an ultramarathon that goes way beyond simply trying to improve your pace.
So I set myself the — then unrealistic — goal of completing my first 61km trail ultramarathon just eight months later.
At that point in my running journey, this goal was an impossible fitness goal. The me who set that goal was woefully unable to achieve it. After all, I hadn’t run a single step in over eight years and didn’t engage in any other forms of endurance exercise. I was also 36 years old and a bit overweight.
And yet, I didn’t only want to “finish the race” — a goal often promoted as “realistic” for someone in their first year of running ultramarathons.
No, I wanted to finish the race in under six hours. From the previous year’s results, I knew I had a chance of winning if I could pull this off.
Objectively, that goal was outrageous and seemingly impossible. Not only because of my history of being bullied throughout my childhood as “fatty” and “unathletic” but also because of the extremely short timeline of going from not being an endurance athlete to being someone who could finish on the podium in a 61K trail ultramarathon.
I finished third female in 6:12.
On my way to achieving my first “impossible” fitness goal. Picture by “Schweriner Seentrail 2021/ttfoto.de”
I hadn’t achieved my sub-6-hour goal. But I wasn’t disappointed. I was happy, proud, and amazed at what my body and mind had just accomplished. Way more than I thought I could do.
And here’s the crucial insight: If I hadn’t set myself that unrealistic goal of sub-6 hours, I may have never achieved that third-place finish. The “impossible” target pushed me harder than any “realistic” goal would have.
The impossible target pulled me forward, even when I didn’t reach it. And the journey required me to become someone different. Someone stronger. Someone who believed more in what was possible.
This is why you set unrealistic and ridiculous goals: because the path to those goals will change you. The achievement is almost beside the point. The transformation is what matters.
The following year, I placed 2nd in my age group during the German 24-hour road championships and finished my first 100-mile race in 22:07, placing 15th female overall.
Each achievement recalibrated what I thought was possible. If I could do that, what else could I do?
That’s when I set a goal so outrageous it felt ridiculous even writing it down.
During a personal development exercise, I wrote “podium MCR” as a miracle I wanted to have happen to me. The Mad Chicken Run is a 24-hour race around a motocross track. And I didn’t just want to finish. I wanted the podium even though I had no logical reason to believe it was possible.
And miraculously, I won. First-place female. Fifth overall.
But not all ambitious goals are created equal. Some will inspire you to transform. Others will just exhaust you. Here’s how to know if you’ve found a true impossible fitness goal:
How to Determine Your Impossible Fitness Goal
During an ultramarathon along the Swedish coast. Picture by “Der Sportfotograf.”
It Needs to Be Unrealistic (Or Have a Much Shorter Timeline Than What You Initially Thought)
A true impossible goal should make you uncomfortable when you say it out loud. That discomfort? That’s the signal you’re onto something.
The timeline matters too. If you give yourself so much time that the goal becomes “reasonable,” you’ll lose the urgency that forces transformation. Eight months to go from non-runner to 61K podium finisher? That timeline didn’t allow for cautious, incremental progress. It demanded transformation from day one.
Ask yourself: Does this goal scare you? Do you immediately want to explain why it’s probably not possible? Good. You’re on the right track.
You Must Genuinely Want the Goal
When you truly want to achieve the goal you’ll have an easier time following through. Graphic by Nicole Linke
This seems obvious, but it’s crucial. You can’t sustain the effort required for an impossible goal if you don’t genuinely want it.
Research on self-determination theory shows that autonomous (self-determined) motivation is a far more powerful driver of behavior than extrinsic motivation. According to Deci and Ryan’s extensive research, intrinsic motivation — when people engage in an activity because they find it interesting and inherently satisfying — predicts enhanced learning, performance, creativity, and psychological wellness.
In other words: the habits and goals that stick are the ones you genuinely want to maintain, not the ones you believe you “should” do.
How do you know if you genuinely want it? Pay attention to how you feel when you think about it. Does it energize you? Does it pull you forward? Or does it feel like something you think you “should” do?
There’s a difference between wanting to prove something to others and wanting something for yourself. The former runs out of fuel. The latter sustains you through everything.
Your impossible goal should align with what genuinely inspires you. For some people, it’s physical transformation — the visible proof of what their body can become. For others, it’s performance — pushing the boundaries of what they thought they were capable of. For me, it’s adventure and the unknown.
There’s no right answer here. But knowing what inspires YOU is essential. Otherwise, you’re chasing someone else’s dream, and that never ends well.
Think From the Goal, Not Towards It
Work backwards from your ultimate goal instead of determining your goal from your present self. Graphic by Nicole Linke
This is where most people get it wrong. They look at where they are now and try to extrapolate forward. “I can run 10K now, so maybe in a year I can do a half-marathon, and in two years a marathon…”
That’s thinking towards a goal. It’s incremental. It’s safe. It keeps you operating from your current identity.
Instead, think from the goal backwards. I start at the finish line. November 2026. I’ve just completed 490 kilometers. Who is that person? What does she know? How does she train? What does she believe about herself?
Then work backwards. Six months before the race, what is she doing? Three months before? One month before? Today?
This forces you to step into a new identity immediately. You stop being someone trying to improve and become someone preparing for something extraordinary.
Avoid using the present or past as the basis for your future. The present you isn’t capable of your impossible goal. That’s the entire point. You must become someone different.
Your Goal Should Be About Transformation, Not Achievement
Focus on the transformation that achieving your impossible goal requires. Graphic by Nicole Linke
Here’s the most important distinction: impossible fitness goals aren’t really about the achievement. They’re about the transformation required to attempt them.
Look at my 61K race. I didn’t hit my sub-6-hour goal. But did I fail? Absolutely not. The person who finished third in 6:12 was transformed from the person who set that goal eight months earlier. That transformation was worth more than any time on a finish line clock.
That transformation is the real prize.
If I cross the finish line at Pheidippides in November 2026, that will be incredible. But the real question isn’t “can I achieve this?” The question is “Am I willing to become the person who can?”
Practical Steps to Achieve Your Impossible Fitness Goal
On a morning run through Berlin. Picture by Nicole Linke
Theory is beautiful. But transformation happens in the practical, daily choices. Here are the strategies that have worked for me across multiple impossible goals:
Use the Power of Identity
Using an “identity-first” approach can help you achieve your impossible goals. Graphic by Nicole Linke
One of the most underrated drivers of habit formation is identity. When behaviors become part of how you define yourself — your sense of who you are at your core — consistency follows naturally and resilience strengthens dramatically.
Research on habits and identity found compelling evidence: when habits relate to feelings of identity, this comes with stronger cognitive self-integration, higher self-esteem, and a powerful striving toward an ideal self.
In other words, it’s easier to stay the course when you believe, “This is just who I am,” than when you view habits as obligations.
So the next time you want to achieve an impossible goal — instead of thinking about what you want to do, think about who you want to be.
When I restarted my running journey in 2021, intending to complete an ultramarathon, I asked myself a powerful question: what would the version of me who was already a successful ultrarunner do? How would they behave? What would they think? How would they move through the world?
To remind myself daily of the new identity I wanted to embody, I placed a Post-it card with the word “ultrarunner” on my desk — a daily reminder to myself.
Seeing the word daily helped me get out the door on those dark winter mornings when I really didn’t want to get going.
I knew if I truly wanted to be the runner I told myself I wanted to be, then I couldn’t afford to let my feelings dictate my actions.
Your behavior shapes your identity. You can become who you intend to be if you begin living that way today.
Make the Time — Let Your Calendar Reflect Your Values
Your calendar shows what you truly value. Graphic by Nicole Linke
You are always pursuing something, either consciously or unconsciously. The question is: what is your time actually going toward?
Look at your calendar right now. What does it tell you about your priorities? If your impossible fitness goal isn’t visible in how you spend your time, it’s not actually a priority. It’s a wish.
When I committed to the 61K ultramarathon, my calendar changed immediately. Training runs appeared as non-negotiable appointments. Strength sessions were blocked out. Recovery days were protected.
Your calendar is a mirror of your values. Make sure it reflects the transformation you’re pursuing.
Design Your Environment to Support Your Goal
Create a supportive environment to achieve your impossible goals. Graphic by Nicole Linke
Environmental design is perhaps the most underutilized yet powerful mechanism for automatic habit formation.
I keep my kettlebells visible and accessible in my living room — not hidden away where I’d forget about them. I strategically placed a pull-up bar in my doorway where it catches my eye multiple times daily. These visual reminders do the heavy lifting for me.
I also refuse to keep foods in my home that trigger overeating or that don’t support my athletic goals. When I do want to eat something “off-plan,” I buy it the day of, rather than keeping it readily available in my kitchen.
By designing your environment this way, you’re not relying on willpower anymore. You’re making the good choice, the easy choice.
Your surroundings become your ally, not your enemy.
Raise Your Standards
Pursuing impossible fitness goals requires that you raise your standards. Graphic by Nicole Linke
Impossible goals require impossible standards. Not perfection — but a fundamental shift in what you’re willing to accept from yourself.
I hired a coach to help me prepare for Pheidippides. Even though I’m a certified ultrarunning coach myself, I know I have blind spots. Having someone from the outside looking at my training with a more objective view keeps my standards high.
I have also rented a small flat in the mountains that I can visit on weekends to train. Berlin’s flat roads, which are too crowded to allow for decent interval or tempo workouts, can’t support the new, higher standards I’ve set for my running. And the financial sacrifice of having to pay more rent is what I was willing to make to achieve my seemingly impossible running goals.
What standards do you need to raise? What minimum level of effort, consistency, or commitment are you willing to accept from yourself?
Your standards define your ceiling. Raise them, and everything else rises with them.
Live in the Gain, Not the Gap
Focus on your progress instead of an ideal that you haven’t achieved (yet). Graphic by Nicole Linke
This concept, from Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy’s book “The Gap and the Gain,” has been transformative for me. You can measure your progress in two ways:
The Gap: measuring yourself against an ideal. Against where you “should” be. Against perfection. This is exhausting and demoralizing because the ideal is always moving.
The Gain: measuring yourself against where you were. Against your past self. Against your starting point.
I used to live in the Gap. I compared myself to elite ultrarunners and felt inadequate. I compared myself to an ideal version of myself and always fell short.
Now, I live in the Gain. I look back at the unathletic kid faking illness to avoid PE class. I look at the 36-year-old who hadn’t run in eight years. I see how far I’ve come, and that fuels me forward.
From “unathletic kid” to multiple ultramarathon podiums. From zero to preparing for 490 kilometers. That’s the gain. That’s what matters.
When you live in the gain, every day is progress. Every training run is a win. Every step forward is evidence that you’re becoming who you set out to become.
And remember: if you fail to reach your impossible goal, it doesn’t mean you are a failure or have failed.
The goal is a target. A direction. A catalyst for transformation. But it’s not the only measure of success.
I didn’t hit my sub-6-hour goal at that first 61K. But I still finished third female. I still transformed from someone who hadn’t run in eight years to someone on an ultramarathon podium. The “failure” to hit my exact target didn’t diminish the transformation one bit.
What Impossible Fitness Goal Are You Pursuing?
During a morning run in autumn. Picture by Nicole Linke
I’m back on the trail. My legs are heavy, but my mind is clear. 490 kilometers still seems impossible from here.
But I think back to that first 61km trail race and about where that one impossible goal has taken me.
Second place age group at the German 24-hour Championships. Winning the Mad Chicken Run — a “miracle” I wrote down in a personal development exercise. Finishing CCC at UTMB in only my second year of trail running.
There have been doubts along the way. So many doubts.
But if I had let doubts and fears control my decisions, I would have never accomplished any of these things. I wouldn’t have grown in the way I have as a human being. I wouldn’t have become who I am today.
And I certainly wouldn’t be preparing for something as outrageous as 490 kilometers through Greece.
The transformative power of pursuing “unrealistic” fitness goals. Graphic by Nicole Linke
Are you pursuing something completely unrealistic?
If not, you’re missing out. You’re missing out on becoming something totally different and better. You’re missing out on emotional breakthroughs. You’re missing out on learning and transforming both yourself and others.
Set huge goals. Pursue them with persistence that looks insane from the outside. Learn everything you must to achieve them.
The finish line? That’s just a bonus.
The transformation is the prize.
So I ask you again: What’s your impossible fitness goal?
What’s the thing that scares you when you say it out loud?
What’s the challenge that would require you to become someone completely different?
That’s your starting line.
The only question is: When will you begin?
Nicole is an ultrarunner, kettlebell enthusiast and ultrarunning and kettlebell coach. Connect with her on Instagram and check out her newsletter, which offers weekly kettlebell tips, workouts, insights into her training (ultrarunning & kettlebell), and special gifts for subscribers only. When you sign up, you’ll receive the “No-Nonsense Guide to Kettlebell Muscle.”