Nothing is impossible, if you put your mind to it."

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Posted by: jigg Original: 3/3/2008 7:50 AM Comments: 30 eProps: 54 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

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2 eProps from: buttrflykis31 nimbusthedragon dark_stream whonose ah_yin_yin moonbunny goodbyedinner OhDamn_LENA LinkTheValiant fatcatUS LolliPooP AvenueToTheReal PoizonAZN PookieFlirtsAgain enygma81 ks_chenyah Rammiegirl48 xpureinn0cenc3 eat_napa fullmetalbunny jeweliette oodestinioo sugarvirgo lilopinkie eucalyptusXxXanonymous love__annie timestill

Monday, March 03, 2008

Nothing is impossible, if you put your mind to it."

How many times were we told this growing up? I know I've heard it in some way or form about once a month from elementary school though high school. I felt brainwashed hearing it. The older I got, the less I believed in it. Maybe I was pessimistic, but like all pessimists, I choose to think that I was being realistic because the reality is, not everything in life is possible.

Recently, a friend and I got into a debate about this. I told her that this type of quote produced a false sense of hope since it is not true. No matter how hard people try, something are just not attainable. It has to do with your potential, your choices and the variable of luck. Not everyone can be the President of the United States and not everyone can be a great athlete like Michael Jordan. She argues otherwise. She believes that "everyone always has a chance, regardless of how unlikely those chances are, because technically, 0.000000001% is still a chance--just not probable."

One way I always use to determine if it's something I truly believe in, is if I would teach my children that. This is clearly an example of something I would never teach my kids. Instead of telling them that "nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it," I would teach them, "some things are impossible, but the only way to find out is to try your best." I think by telling them the first, you are setting them up for a fall, whereas the second one would motivate them to try their best, understanding that they might fail.

I think it is important to dream and hope for the best. I think it is extremely important to try and make those dreams a reality and one shouldn't be afraid to try because they are afraid of failure. Failing is a part of life and unfortunately, it is also a way to learn and understand yourself. Everytime you fail, the picture is clearer. The picture we all unconsciously paint is reality and it's harsh--to the point that we sometimes we choose not to acknowledge it.

Posted 3/3/2008 7:50 AM - 30 comments

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i agree with you on this... i never believed that when my teachers told me that when i was little... it gives kids a false sense of reality... im chinese and what if i wanted to be white? can i be white just by thinking that its possible for me to be white? no, i cant because theres no way for me to become white... im gonna tell my kids the truth: you wont always get what you want or even what you deserve, but theres nothing stopping you from working your ass off to up your chances of getting whatever you want...

Posted 3/3/2008 8:31 AM by buttrflykis31 - reply

I completely agree. If ever I had kids, sure, I 'd want them to succeed, but I don't want to instill in them a false sense of hope, in the sense that they'd think anything is possible without working really hard at it. People also call me a pessimist, but like you said, I regard that thinknig as realism. I don't deny there are plenty of opportunities for everyone, and that everyone in a certain sense, can improve their life with determination and hard work, but there are limits, also. I think finding the balance in this equation is key here. Kids should strive to do their best, period.

Posted 3/3/2008 8:46 AM by nimbusthedragon

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"Nothing is impossible, if you put your mind to it".. hmm.. this has kinda the same effect as "whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right" - not everything is possible. I'll think of ways to live forever and die trying, haha

yeah man, i agree with you on this.. people who say things like this tend to underestimate the falsity and unrealistic effects is has on those who they say it to.

Saying that not everything in life is possible is simply a realistic perspective and is by NO means incorrect. We are labelled pessimistic by those who disagree; and we'll call them idealists, dreamers etc. because of what we believe and how we perceive things to be.

Posted 3/3/2008 9:39 AM by dark_stream - reply

In mathematics we disclude chances that remote for the sheer fact that they ARE that remote, so you could conclude that mathematically it IS impossible.

Posted 3/3/2008 10:15 AM by whonose

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wow.. amazing read.

Posted 3/3/2008 10:19 AM by ah_yin_yin - reply

I believe I can personally do anything I want to do. I don't think that applies for everyone though! I'm definitely one of those children who was groomed for greatness though; my father really encouraged in me the idea that I can do anything I want, which is something I still believe to this day. It's not the best thing - I mean, there's obviously some disconnect with reality on some levels for me to still believe that - but I definitely still believe it. Anything that I haven't been able to do isn't because I simply can't, it's because I haven't wanted it badly enough. Examples include: understand physics; ... hmm, that's about it that I can think of. Hahahahaha. I sound like a delusional nut, and I guess I am, but I do acknowledge that I am sometimes... haha.

Posted 3/3/2008 11:24 AM by moonbunny

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i'll always think negatively, dream of the almost impossible but do it positively.
i know i'm a very self-confusing person. LOL

Posted 3/3/2008 11:42 AM by goodbyedinner

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the system is set up for us to fail. we might succeed, but not as much as those who come from wealthy white WASP families. yay.

Posted 3/3/2008 12:32 PM by OhDamn_LENA - reply

Yeah, there are always some things unattainable due to life circumstances or some such. Myself, I would take the quote to mean what it says only in the context of what is not clearly impossible.

I prefer the line about aiming for the moon, so as to hit a star should one miss.

Posted 3/3/2008 1:08 PM by LinkTheValiant - reply

well i think that we should not take that old saying away, its meant for kids and should justly be! you find it hard to believe when you started growing older and that was the key. i think that with experience people tend to shape their own lives the way they want. as children, if we give them too harsh or too real a foundation to start with, then they wouldn't be children anymore, they would be little "mini-me"'s of ourselves. the reason we tell children these silly and somewhat TOO optimistic ideals are just a way of buffering their confidence/ego, and giving them a POSITIVE outlook on life. whether they believe these later on is up to them and like you say their luck factor and other things. but we start out with the best and we learn along the way to prepare for the worst. thats life, and thats what we call living!!! everyone has to learn through their own trials and errors, no matter how real and easy you try to make for ur kids...=)hehe strictly my POV.....

Posted 3/3/2008 1:15 PM by fatcatUS

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I agree with you alot on this, but not with everything. I think when it comes to children, it's important to help them maintain optimism rather than realism. I don't think it's a false sense of hope at all. It's only a false sense of hope if they're a quad and you keep egging them on that they're going to be able to get up and run a marathon one day. They should be allowed to get to the level where they can assess on their own what is attainable and what is not. That's all part of growing up. You're right...not everyone can be president of the United States or Michael Jordan, but not everyone wants those things either.

I always wanted to be the crazy things when i was young, most of which I gave up in JHS. But I don't feel disappointed or cheated by those hopes and dreams. I think at a certain point, we all realize what we're truly made of and we alter/tailor our hopes and dreams according to that new awareness.

I think I would still like my child to believe that everything is possible. The beauty of children is their innocence, uncorrupted and untainted by what you and I already know. Children shouldn't be part of that world.

Posted 3/3/2008 2:02 PM by LolliPooP - reply

I kind of want to do gymnastics again, but I know it's impossible because I'm too old to start over.

This reminds me of the end of "The Weatherman" where the Weatherman says something like, "Over the years, the possibilities of who I could become became less and less until finally, the possibilities were gone and all that which was left was who I was. I am the Weatherman."

Posted 3/3/2008 2:24 PM by AvenueToTheReal

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i've always been a strong believer of "It's just a matter of how badly you want it". Of course, some things that you want... come with devastating reprocussions and/or retaliation... but alas, thats just the price that comes with certain things. ON the other hand, one of my instructors did tell stand on your side of this arguement and what she says was very true.

as an instructor of color who grew up in poverty, she saw people who had dreams reach and reach for what they wanted... only to be denied that because of their ethnicity, and economic status. It wasn't so much they didn't have the will power to get what they want, but it was because society would not let them access to resources. No matter how much schooling, working, and what not... they were denied.

i agree'd with her, but at the same time it goes back to my first paragraph... the choices could've been to steal, kill, lie, scam, and they would've gotten what they wanted.... just not for long and of course... that goes into the whole "What are morals of getting what you want" and.... you get the picture..

Posted 3/3/2008 3:01 PM by PoizonAZN

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Hmm, that is true but at the same time I agree with one of the comments I don't think you should tell children that. I think that they should learn hard work and ethics and I feel it's better to try and not succeed then not try and ask what if?! Even if that child doesn't succeed at least they won't be asking themselves "What if?!" and that to me is far worse than not trying at all.

Posted 3/3/2008 5:03 PM by PookieFlirtsAgain - reply

Oh and also not everyone wants to be president or a sports star some people might want to be a firefighter, or a doctor or a teacher. We all change and have different priorities but as long as we're all happy in the end it's all good :D

Posted 3/3/2008 5:05 PM by PookieFlirtsAgain - reply

I completely agree with you on this. With kids, instead of telling them that "Nothing is impossible", it may be better to say, "Do your best to achieve your dreams." We should emphasize effort and acknowledge failures as learning experiences.

Posted 3/3/2008 5:20 PM by enygma81 - reply

Your rewrite makes sense to me, but I'm an adult. I'm quite pessimistic myself at this point in my life, but I don't think many children were quite as pessimistic/mature as you were. I say it's important to get to know your children well enough to know which version resonates with them better. Some kids will hear "nothing is impossible, if you put your mind to it" and be completely unbothered by the things they know they can't do, other kids will actually think they can do anything if they just put their mind to it, and other kids will be bothered by the inaccuracy altogether. The first group understood the intended meaning of the message and ignored the literal interpretation of those words. The last two groups took the message literally: one believing it completely, the other choosing to reject it. I'm not going to argue right or wrong interpreation here; it has nothing to do with that. What I'm saying is that keeping in touch with your children and who they are makes it much easier for you to guide them appropriately through life. Hopefully, hopefully, this leads to fewer miscommunications and arguments. Cross your fingers.

Posted 3/3/2008 8:08 PM by ks_chenyah - reply

i agree too...

there are so many instances where I now find it hard to accept failure, i LOOK for perfection because it was what I was drilled to go for as a child, that I could get whatever I wanted provided that I worked for it. It was really difficult in college when it didn't happen so much, and it is even MORE difficult in graduate school, and MORE so when it comes to relationships (and a million other things) because we all know that relationships involve someone else and you definitely cannot control someone else's emotions.

However, a question (or two) begs to be asked: is it easier to teach a child to self-motivate at a later age so that they do not become lazy or is it easier to teach a child later in life that failure is inevitable with various things? Keeping in mind that as a child gets older, it is sometimes easier to deal with failure simply because there is more maturity and with more maturity there is usually more understanding.

Posted 3/3/2008 8:13 PM by Rammiegirl48 - reply

but sometimes what you thought you wanted turns out to have more cons than the path you ended up taking

Posted 3/3/2008 8:36 PM by xpureinn0cenc3 - reply

i no longer believe that quote either. sometimes you just have to accept your limitations - you'll be happier that way.

Posted 3/3/2008 8:42 PM by eat_napa - reply

@PoizonAZN -

I wanted to be the President of the United States once. But then I realized that I was Chinese and this country is racist.

-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Posted 3/3/2008 11:22 PM by jigg

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My mother never told me that if I put my mind to it I could accomplish anything. She was quite insistent, in fact, on its lack of truth. Some things, she told me, just weren't going to happen.

So I've never tried to do very much.

Probably because I couldn't tell from the start whether something I wanted to do was impossible or not. If it turned out in the end to be impossible, after all, then no amount of work on my part could make it happen. Waste of time.

My mother meant no harm.

Posted 3/4/2008 6:07 AM by fullmetalbunny

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@jigg - another example my instructor used as well. hahaha

Posted 3/4/2008 6:50 AM by PoizonAZN

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I think that saying is implicitly qualified by the need to continually be realistic as you modify your goals. I've never gotten my first choice or achieved things to the extent that I'd like, but by always aiming high, I've managed to land in good places that are still better than most. And some things ARE impossible. Like with the U.S. presidency, naturalized U.S. citizens are not allowed to become president, so that's not attainable for people like me who are U.S. citizens now but were born outside the U.S.

Posted 3/4/2008 7:30 AM by jeweliette - reply

its so general.. they're [kinda lame] words of encrouagement, depending wat context u use it in. if i said "i think i can fly off this building" & u said "nothing is impossible if u put ur mind to it" then we're delusional. if i said "i want to learn another language" & u used the same response, then it works... tho... i think "DO IT!" is highly effective & straight to the point :]

Posted 3/4/2008 4:36 PM by oodestinioo - reply

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