Well "Nothing Is Impossible" is actually the title to Christopher Reeve's 2nd book. By the way check out his site http://www.christopherreeve.org/ ! I'm reading his first book "Still Me" right now (among others!) I received the following quotes in my email today & thought I would journal a bit on this concept of something or anything being "impossible".
By asking for the impossible we obtain the possible. -- Italian Proverb
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. -- Arthur C. Clarke
Is anything impossible? Hmmm! They thought the world was flat first & one would literally fall off the edge. Then it was round, and possible to travel around it...now they are saying it is more egg shaped. A few weeks ago I watched a PBS show on the common wood frog with my older niece. This frog freezes solid in the winter & then in the spring it defrosts in perfect order for its organ survival & then mates. You can watch a video clip of it here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/video/3209/i05.html This has shocked scientists!
In Christopher Reeve's book "Nothing Is Impossible" he has many inspiring quotes. Look for some more journals on them as I read his book this summer. One on the inside of the cover is:
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. If we can conquer outer space, we can conquer inner space, too.
I'm not sure if this is his statement? It seems I've heard this before but he doesn't give an author to it?
I'll also add that Michael J. Fox is another Superman! Check out his website: http://www.michaeljfox.org/ I have read his book "Lucky Man" and it is AWESOME! You can read an excerpt here: http://www.michaeljfox.org/news/article.php?id=5 At the very end of this excerpt in fact he talks about a man who has many tree saplings growing in a house. One in particular is in a dark, tight space with no air yet as he says it is not only surviving but thriving when it should not!
How many times do people think something is impossible? Especially when it comes to something someone else wants to do! Ha! Seems more often than not we think things are certainly possible when we want to do something but when others want to do something "Oh No!" Hopefully we don't start listening to others & it becomes that "little critic" I journaled about already. I have found, from the little living I have done thus far, that the biggest determinant for achieving what others believe is impossible, is your own belief that it is possible! In fact, just tell me "NO" and it is a good way to get me to do something. I will "prove you wrong!" ;-) Shhh...don't tell everyone that, they will be purposely using it then! Well, I think some are already! Ha! I don't take "no" very well, whether it is having a cold (can't do what I want),or someone who wants to define me a certain way and discriminate against me & say I can't do something someone else can. I equally do not like it when I see others being treated in this manner. As far as I can remember I have always been this way. A great deal of this comes from my parents. I don't really remember them ever telling me I really couldn't achieve something if I really wanted it. Now the opposite may very well be true...if I don't want something or to do something then it will be difficult for you to get me to do it.
I've always found it fascinating why some people will be motivated more by defeat or being told "no" and others will just submissively accept it. I remember playing softball (16 inch) in my grammar school in 4th grade. The teams were mixed with 4th-8th graders. The first year I struck out every single time I was up to bat. The captain of my team (these would be 8th grade girls) use to tell me to get closer to the plate...I'd be useful that way...get hit by the ball! And as you all know kids can be very mean...especially girls! Ha! BTW if you have not read about Girls Relational Aggression look at Niki Crick's research on the web! Despite this, amazingly I didn't quit! Again I think it was the "I'll show you!" attitude and by 8th grade I was a captain and had the most homeruns in the league. Someone beat me in Grand Slams by 1!!! I still remember who it was! Ha! Of course I did have a bit of help by puberty kicking in early! Ha! Girls usually hate it early & boys wish it was early because it brings strength & endurance. I loved it! You know Michael Jordan's quote comes to mind here... "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take!" I guess I just want to always take one more shot at it! You never know the next time you could achieve! It is also interesting to me to learn about people who are very motivated and achieve what others define as "impossible." Certainly Chris Reeve, Michael J. Fox, Oprah, etc. I believe people have sooooo much more potential than what we see on a daily basis and I'm not just talking about big contributions to the world. I think this is just in their daily interactions with people, on the job and at home with people we love. I do understand however it is very difficult to maintain optimism, an attitude of "possible" when so many around you are pessimistic, believing everything is "impossible." That negative energy is like the "Dark Force" (Nope haven't seen the new one yet!). It is a force to reckon with but a force that can be reckoned! I try to have compassion for those who have "crossed over" though. Some people are like the line in "Pretty Woman" - "The bad stuff is just easier to believe." Hmmm! Is easier always better? Maybe it is easier to just accept defeat on your own terms? If you know you just accepted defeat it is not actually defeat. I mean you know in the back of your mind you might still be able to do it, you just haven't tried and that is better than knowing for sure you can't do it. HMMMM! I'd rather know & then move on! Ha! But I'm not sure I would accept it? If it was important to me then I would just continue to work at it. There are things I can't do but they are not important to me. Last time I tried I couldn't do Calculus or Trig but doesn't seem to bother me too much! HA!
Well, what do you think? What have you achieved that others thought impossible?
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