What do you think about impact of the phrase 'nothing is impossible if you work hard enough' ?

stanmann571

Lean59man wrote: »

Unfortunately it's BS.

People have talents in varying degrees in various things.

For example, no matter how much I practice golf I will never be good enough to be a professional golfer.

I just don't have "it".

I am not good enough in math to be a physicist. Forget it. I'm not smart enough.

If I practice singing all the time will I sing like Maria Carey? No.

The trick is to find something you can become good at or at least half-assed at in the case of making a living.

Always do the best you can.

The vast majority of us will only ever be average if we are lucky.

The world is full of people who can't accept their lack of talent in a certain thing and never move on to something they can be pretty fair at and have some degree of success. It's a sad thing to see.

---

It's bizarre, out of the 3 examples you pick, they are either mostly wrong, or have notable counterexamples, or in the last case are utterly erroneous.

Golf is a skill, It can be taught, and with sufficient hard work, can be mastered. Pro golfer is within the realm of anyone who is prepared to put in the work between the ages of 12-21. Ditto for the second example

Regarding singing, there are tens of thousands of singers nationwide who are more accomplished singers than Mariah Carey. Most of which aren't getting paid, not because of lack of skill/practice/capability, but because they weren't in the right place at the right time with the right look.

DX2JX2

stanmann571 wrote: »

It's bizarre, out of the 3 examples you pick, they are either mostly wrong, or have notable counterexamples, or in the last case are utterly erroneous.

Golf is a skill, It can be taught, and with sufficient hard work, can be mastered. Pro golfer is within the realm of anyone who is prepared to put in the work between the ages of 12-21. Ditto for the second example

Regarding singing, there are tens of thousands of singers nationwide who are more accomplished singers than Mariah Carey. Most of which aren't getting paid, not because of lack of skill/practice/capability, but because they weren't in the right place at the right time with the right look.

I don't have a dog in this fight but I will say that the athletics example is absolutely true. I'm not particularly talented at golf but do play to a mid-single digit handicap via practice and perseverance. Could I ever be a pro? Not a chance.

If you've every played a sport with or against somebody with the potential to get there, you'd see that they are on a totally different plane from the rest of us based simply on raw talent (that is, before even considering training differences). They play a different game altogether; the gap between 'recreational' talent and 'professional caliber' potential is huge.

DX2JX2

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I tell my kids, the oldest with several physical impairments, that they can accomplish their goals...and maybe a hearing problem will keep the oldest from going into the military, but it wont prevent him from being a DoD rocket scientist...there are all sorts of ways to serve his country. Not everyone has to be the person with the gun...and I think the guy with the rocket has the bigger gun anyway.

This is the difference between actual valuable advice and a worthless throwaway platitude like "nothing is impossible if you work hard enough".

Lisa8823168

DX2JX2 said: This is the difference between actual valuable advice and a worthless throwaway platitude like "nothing is impossible if you work hard enough".

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

To me, that seems to be the issues brought forward in this thread...do you narrowly or widely define the phrase? Do you look at it as a concept or with literal interpretation ? Are you left brain/right brain/use both?

Accomplishment can never be narrowly defined....or it will squash the very thing that drives people to their goals. Every time one of my kids say "I cant" or "its too hard" or what ever the going phrase may be, they get the same response..."Nothing in life worth having is either easy or free-you just have to work harder".

lemurcat12

lisawolfinger wrote: »

DX2JX2 said: This is the difference between actual valuable advice and a worthless throwaway platitude like "nothing is impossible if you work hard enough".

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

He can't do ANYTHING he might want to. No one can. I cannot (and couldn't have even if I had worked hard as a kid) become an opera singer or professional violin player. (I am not that musical, it's not a lack of work -- although I would be better than I am now if I had worked -- but a lack of innate ability). I also could never have been an NFL quarterback (or offensive lineman). That's not that I was not willing to work; it would never have been possible.

Do I think that limits my life? No, of course not, I looked at where I had skills or wanted to improve and focused on those things and achieved them. At this stage of my life, I can never win the Boston marathon, period. Could I qualify for it? Sure, maybe, and I might try to do so and work really hard. Can I run a marathon? Absolutely, if I train again.

I don't understand this idea that if you don't assert the obviously false claim that you can do ANYTHING you want to that you are saying someone cannot achieve or be successful (or giving such ridiculous and limiting feedback as you say was given to you).

I do think it's different when talking to a kid, since you want him or her to be able to explore and think about options, but if a child decides that he loves basketball but does not seem to be especially athletically gifted, I don't think it's at all limiting to suggest that he can play recreationally and pursue his love through being a sportswriter or something. That's opening horizons. And frankly I think putting all the eggs in a high risk option is probably more limiting than acknowledging that not everyone who wants to do some things can and while it's great to try there's some luck involved and having backups is smart.

Lisa8823168

I guess I was actually blessed by the archaic ways of the 60s & 70s...and glad I never subscribed to under achievement. How limiting my life would have been had I taken the "experts" to heart because I didn't seem to be especially capable. I put all my eggs in the high risk option to drive, after I was told no. I put all my eggs into going to college, after I was told no. I put all my eggs into a professional career when I was told I only might be able to find a husband to care for me.

Acknowledging that not everyone who wants some things can and will be great at them would have robbed me of the horizons.

I have done ANYTHING that I wanted to do in my life. I am exactly where I want to be with exactly what I wanted my life to be. I worked hard enough.

singingflutelady

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I guess I was actually blessed by the archaic ways of the 60s & 70s...and glad I never subscribed to under achievement. How limiting my life would have been had I taken the "experts" to heart because I didn't seem to be especially capable. I put all my eggs in the high risk option to drive, after I was told no. I put all my eggs into going to college, after I was told no. I put all my eggs into a professional career when I was told I only might be able to find a husband to care for me.

Acknowledging that not everyone who wants some things can and will be great at them would have robbed me of the horizons.

I have done ANYTHING that I wanted to do in my life. I am exactly where I want to be with exactly what I wanted my life to be. I worked hard enough.

So you are saying that anyone can be an Olympic athlete can be if they work hard enough and if we don't agree with this we subscribe to underachievement? Your goals were realistic- college and career. Most people can achieve that but claiming that nothing is impossible is very damaging because it is not true and demeaning because it implies that they didn't work hard enough. So what do you tell your child when they don't qualify for one of the rare spots in the Olympics? Oh honey sorry you didn't try enough because nothing is impossible

clicketykeys

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

So... you can do anything you want to do... as long as you redefine "ANYTHING" to mean "things that are actually possible for you to do."

Which ... kind of completely defeats the purpose of the cliche ;D

jseams1234

clicketykeys wrote: »

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

So... you can do anything you want to do... as long as you redefine "ANYTHING" to mean "things that are actually possible for you to do."

Which ... kind of completely defeats the purpose of the cliche ;D

I think the general assumption is that "anything" doesn't include such feats as holding your nose, farting a rainbow and flying to the moon... in the case of lisawolfinger, she apparently accomplished a great many things that those around her, including "experts", had told her were impossible. So, she shook her head, ignored the the advice to be a "realist" and tried anyhow... and succeeded. I'd like to think that is the heart and soul of the saying.

I do wonder how many Olympians were once told, "lol, keep dreaming kid. There is no way you will ever be in the Olympics. Why waste your time on the impossible", but ignored that seemingly sound advice and kept pushing towards that dream anyhow.

stanmann571

jseams1234 wrote: »

clicketykeys wrote: »

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

So... you can do anything you want to do... as long as you redefine "ANYTHING" to mean "things that are actually possible for you to do."

Which ... kind of completely defeats the purpose of the cliche ;D

I think the general assumption is that "anything" doesn't include such feats as holding your nose, farting a rainbow and flying to the moon... in the case of lisawolfinger, she apparently accomplished a great many things that those around her, including "experts", had told her were impossible. So, she shook her head, ignored the the advice to be a "realist" and tried anyhow... and succeeded. I'd like to think that is the heart and soul of the saying.

I do wonder how many Olympians were once told, "lol, keep dreaming kid. There is no way you will ever be in the Olympics. Why waste your time on the impossible", but ignored that seemingly sound advice and kept pushing towards that dream anyhow.

Someone like Oscar Pistorius?

DebLaBounty

Okay, the Op asked in the question, subpart 3, whether the statement is helpful for those who exercise. At the time I set my goal to start running and get in good enough shape to run a 5K, the goal seemed to me to be ALMOST impossible. I'm 57 years old, and was sedentary, overweight and have had a torn meniscus and Achilles a dozen years ago. So the idea of beginning the task seemed insurmountable. And stupid and ill-advised. But I sometimes thought of this ridiculous cliche, and it helped me persevere. I did the work even when I wanted to sit at home on my a**. Sure, I could have re-injured myself and not achieved my goal so maybe it would have been arguably impossible for me. But after 4 months of training and losing weight I ran a 5K.

It's a simplistic saying and I'd never say it to someone else because it is so fraught with blaming someone for "not really trying", but it worked to motivate me.

ninerbuff

WorkerDrone83 wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

WorkerDrone83 wrote: »

Whoa, I never called anyone a lazy quitter. If someone took personal offense to that comment in the context it was used, that's telling for them.

The phrase isn't "Nothing is impossible if you want it hard enough."

I'm not disputing that some things are no longer possible for individuals. But it's likely they were or could have been, if the effort was truly made.

Okay, so do you think Daniel Ruetigger could have been a professional NFL player if he worked harder than he already did to just make an "appearance" on the Notre Dame football team?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Lol. Rudy!
I don't know anything about Rudy other than that he was a hobbit. Did he want to be an NFL player? It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but I thought it was just his dream to play for Notre Dame, which he did.

His dream to play, but he wasn't put in because of his "athleticism" but because of the soft heart of the coach. Had that been a game to go to a championship and they were just barely leading, he would have NEVER sniffed the field. So while he did bust his butt, it didn't raise him to the same athletic level as even the backups on the team.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

lemurcat12

jseams1234 wrote: »

clicketykeys wrote: »

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

So... you can do anything you want to do... as long as you redefine "ANYTHING" to mean "things that are actually possible for you to do."

Which ... kind of completely defeats the purpose of the cliche ;D

I think the general assumption is that "anything" doesn't include such feats as holding your nose, farting a rainbow and flying to the moon...

Okay, let's say it excludes things that are physically impossible for humans.

It still means ANYTHING, and that assumes we aren't just talking about going to college and having a job (which, great, but to then call the rest of us underachievers for acknowledging that we will not win the Boston marathon or play quarterback for an NFL team is pretty silly and, indeed, offensive -- I went to college and beyond and have a job and am not breaking my arm patting myself on the back quite so hard and insulting others).

I think it's great to encourage people to do things they genuinely want to do.

I ALSO think it's important to help people work toward realistic goals and understand if they want to try for something really difficult that (if we are talking about a kid wanting to be an NBA player) they need a backup, and if we are talking about someone trying for lower likelihood goal (qualifying for Boston, say, or becoming a published novel writer or getting a job with a professional orchestra or clerking for the Supreme Court) that you are NOT a failure if you try really hard and don't succeed and that it's not just that you are some loser who didn't try hard enough, and that if you had really worked you would have gotten what you wanted because you can do anything you want to do.

Sometimes people aim high, try hard, and end up not getting exactly what they wanted but something pretty darn good. Doesn't make them a failure, and the snide "underachiever" from someone who did not even try for those things, perhaps, is not helpful. And not acknowledging that different people have different natural abilities and starting places is also not helpful.

I am willing to acknowledge that for some people graduating from college is a huge deal and success. It absolutely is, it's great (even though it seemed more like a necessary stepping stone than a particularly hard goal for me). I just wish that those people would acknowledge that other people similarly might face different burdens than they did or have desires and goals that cannot be certainly achieved with just hard work -- they might also require a level of natural ability or luck.

I'm not saying don't try -- I think aiming for risky hard unlikely goals (real ones) is fabulous and admirable. But part of why they are risky is that they are not certainties, no matter how hard you work, and to say that if you don't succeed at those things, well, you just didn't try hard enough or really want them is not true and is, IMO, rather mean-spirited.

Aaron_K123

jseams1234 wrote: »

clicketykeys wrote: »

lisawolfinger wrote: »

I think it is, at the core, the same...he can do anything he wants to do...he just has to think outside the box...rather than narrowly define some of the words of the phrase.

So... you can do anything you want to do... as long as you redefine "ANYTHING" to mean "things that are actually possible for you to do."

Which ... kind of completely defeats the purpose of the cliche ;D

I think the general assumption is that "anything" doesn't include such feats as holding your nose, farting a rainbow and flying to the moon... in the case of lisawolfinger, she apparently accomplished a great many things that those around her, including "experts", had told her were impossible. So, she shook her head, ignored the the advice to be a "realist" and tried anyhow... and succeeded. I'd like to think that is the heart and soul of the saying.

I do wonder how many Olympians were once told, "lol, keep dreaming kid. There is no way you will ever be in the Olympics. Why waste your time on the impossible", but ignored that seemingly sound advice and kept pushing towards that dream anyhow.

Then the correct phrase is "nothing that is possible is impossible if you try hard enough". Well...okay. Kind of a tautology at that point isn't it? Also isn't that helpful unless you can discern what things are possible and what things aren't.