By Jake J. Nho
``Impossible is nothing” is a slogan that the sporting house Adidas introduced several years back. It is actually ``nothing is impossible” as we have commonly known it to be.
Thinking about it, it seems to be so similar, as if someone phrased it wrongly but it is actually not.
What I perceived was this: To say nothing is impossible is a declaration of irresponsibility, sought of nonsense, as Napoleon said so famously, because there are things that are impossible.
Let’s take an example: Arnold Schwarzenegger pretentiously gave birth on screen, and I took my children to an amusement park. I did, of course but this almost hinges on the impossibility.
What Adidas was saying in its slogan was much more powerful. Nothing is not impossible but to declare that impossible is nothing is that I don’t need to fear anything, that I can challenge anything that comes my way.
This happens every day. Not impossibilities but things that happen at work and in life, and in family. Ever so often, you want to give up and say ``impossible?” But trust me, ``impossible” is nothing.
And again I have to go back to that word “nothing.” It is the combination of the words ``no” and ``thing.” We don’t have to Google it to know this.
It is something philosophical, this word nothing: So simple yet lost in meaning. To discard the notion of impossibility, within the realm of possibility is the real thing.
We say things like ``Oh, it is nothing” and this is to mean that it does not mean a thing. But how can anything mean nothing? Everything has to mean something, at the very least.
So the slogan from Adidas, not to make it commercial since I believe they have changed it since, challenged me to think that even in real life, nothing can stop me from achieving what I am aiming for. It can take time and effort but with perseverance and effort, things happen.
In making ``impossible” nothing, I took on the challenge. I talked with my wife and children and arrived at the very fine conclusion that the sporting house was right: Impossible is nothing.
If we can go back, these concepts are, as I tried to explain, very different. While saying nothing is impossible is not realistic, taking into your heart that impossible is nothing, that that ``impossible” thing is in fact always something that you can challenge, with tremendous effort of course.
I never use the term impossible. In fact, to put it so pretentiously, the word does not exist in my dictionary. How can you know what is behind the door if you are not willing to take the chance to open it?
We run into situations like this all the time. I don’t want to make myself the focus of things but people tend to be timid: Rather not take the chances. Better buy the lottery ticket.
Better bet? Lousy bet, actually.
There are so many doors that we could have opened in our lives but did not, mainly for fear that it could backfire on you or lead you in a direction that you did want to head in. But until you go knocking on that door, you will ``never” know and this is a scary thing.
Impossible? There are certainly things in life that are so ― in terms of physical capability and so forth ― but we want to be able to turn around and say we accept what is not realistic and move on.
To say that impossible is nothing is throwing away the normal consensus, to say that I am ready to challenge whatever is coming my way. Some we lose, some we win. But we must have the heart and the courage to open that door to see what is beyond. Chances are, you will like what you find.
Jake Nho has been working as a journalist and marketing executive for over 20 years. He can be reached at jakenho@hotmail.com.