Recently, I read about an interview with Stefano Domenicali. He was the team principal of Ferrari until a couple of years ago. Now, he is the CEO of Lamborghini. Even if you’re not into cars, you’ll recognize that not only did he make it extremely far in his industry, but he is also on the cutting edge of a very passionate segment of that industry. Domenicali got there though a progressive career that started with his first job out of college—at Ferrari.

In the interview, Domenicali was asked how he landed Ferrari as his first job. His answer: “When I was at university, I sent my CV to Ferrari and they took me.”

At first, I thought the answer was a letdown. As a bit of a car geek myself, I was hoping for some insight into how he landed that fantastic first job. What was the magical ingredient in his resume that opened the door? What was the gutsy action he took to get their attention? Did he wait for the then CEO or race director at some ritzy place and devise a clever way to initiate a conversation? My initial reaction was that he wasn’t telling us what it really took for him to land that job.

After a moment of thought, however, I realized that Domenicali had told us—but I hadn’t been listening well enough. The answer he gave was that he had the chutzpah to ask for what he wanted. He had asked for something “unreasonable.” (To understand what I mean by “unreasonable,” take a look at my article from a couple of weeks ago: “Why It Pays Not to Read Your Clients’ Mind”—in short, it states to not overthink all the reasons why something might not work.)

Domenicali had a passionate goal and went right for it. He wasn’t stopped by a logic that told him, “You need to learn first at a ‘normal’ car manufacturer before applying for this one,” “You’re not ready for it,” or “You’re not good enough.” Nothing like this. Instead, he had a clear idea of what he wanted, he made the decision to go after it, and he took action. Idea – decision – action. How simple is that?

Regrettably, too often, the conventional path of our thinking is: idea – thinking of obstacles and why it will not work – inaction. How frustrating is that? How often do you allow the pursuit of your goals and dreams to be stopped by your own reasoning that it won’t work? How many of your goals and dreams have already been watered down, compromised, or given up because, too often, you have talked yourself out of pursuing them?

Take the next step

When you catch yourself thinking about reasons why something won’t work, stop this line of thinking. Instead of asking yourself the question, “Why won’t it work?” shift your question to “What step can I take to make it work?” And take that step.