“The only way to discover the limits of the possible
is to go beyond them into the impossible.” - Arthur C. Clarke
The best martial artists believe in the impossible. In Japanese, to “to accomplish the impossible” is fukanou wo kanou ni suru (不可能を可能にする). To believe in the impossible is more than having a positive mental attitude. A positive mental attitude is about having optimism. Believing that the impossible is possible is a form of willfulness that is tinged with a bit of pessimism. The pessimism in this sense is the disbelief that something is impossible to accomplish. A martial artist has to be a little bit stubborn. It is said that the best student has iji (意地) or “willfulness” and it is the teacher’s job to turn that willfulness into konjou (根性) or “fighting spirit.” Therefore, a martial artist has to steadfastly believe that if something or some idea exists in this world, then it was created by a human being and if it was created by a human, then it can be reproduced, achieved, overcome, or defeated. Spitefully, a martial artist says to themselves, yonojisho ni fukanoutoiumoji wa nai (余の辞書に不可能という文字は無い) or “The word ‘impossible’ does not exist in my dictionary!” Normal people have self-limiting beliefs. These self-limiting beliefs cause them to judge things as being possible or impossible. If they deem it as possible, then they will try to accomplish it and if they think it is impossible, they won’t even try. For instance, since the late 1800s, people have been trying to run a mile in under four minutes. Prior to 1954, it was thought that running a mile in under four minutes was physically and physiologically impossible. On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.04. His record only lasted for 46 days and since that time thousands of people, even teenagers, have run a sub four minute mile. The current world record is 3:43.13 and is held by Hicham El Guerrouj. Martial arts training is all about overcoming the impossible. From the moment we start training, we are confronted by things that are seemingly impossible. For instance, people are trying to hit us with all their might, and we are supposed not to deftly defend their strike but also do it calmly as well. All martial arts are skill based. If it is a skill, then anyone can achieve it and gain some level of proficiency with time and experience. In the beginning, it might seems as if getting good is a shinannowaza (至難の業) or “Herculean task” because we move our bodies in such a clunky way and can’t seem to move with the same precision or smoothness as our seniors. Later on, with every foe or challenge we overcome, our ability grows, and we can take on bigger challenges and stronger opponents. At some point, we realize the transparentness of our self-limiting beliefs and not only come to doubt them but challenge them as well. This is where martial arts training crosses over into daily life. Arthur C. Clarke said, “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” In the martial arts and in life, impossible is only a state of mind. Martial artists understand this and that is why the best martial artists believe in the impossible.
Today’s goal: Let go of your self-limiting beliefs and think, “If they can do it, so can I.”
Watch this video of goats to better understand what is impossible