Sometimes our biggest weakness can become your biggest strength. Take, for example, the story t of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that the had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lesson with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was dong well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.
"Mister," the boy finally said, "shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the master replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the master took the boy to his first tournament.
To his surprise,, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched.
Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the master intervened.
"No," his master insisted, "let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and his master reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really in his min.
"Mister, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"
"You won for two reasons," the master answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."
The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
有的時候,你的弱項可以變成你的強項。
給你講一個10歲男孩的故事做例子。這個男孩在一次慘烈的車禍中失去了左臂,但他仍然決定學習柔道。
男孩師從一位年長的日本柔道大師。孩子練得很好,但他不明白為什么師傅在三個月的訓練中,始終只讓他重復同一個動作。
“師傅,”男孩終于忍不住問道,“我是不是可以學點兒別的動作了?”
師傅回答說:“這是你惟一知道的動作,但也是你惟一需要知道的動作。”
男孩雖然不理解,但他非常信任自己的師傅,于是繼續練著。
幾個月后,師傅帶這個男孩子去參加他的第一次比賽。
令這個男孩不可思議的是,他輕易贏了頭兩場比賽。第三場比賽似乎更難,但他的對手在比賽中開始失去耐心,向他沖過來,而這個孩子立即用他學過的惟一一招擊敗了對手。就這樣稀里糊涂地,他進入了決賽。
這一次,他的對手更壯、更強,也更有經驗。有那么一陣,男孩似乎低檔不住了?紤]到男孩可能會受傷,裁判叫了暫停。他正準備停止比賽的時候,男孩的師傅阻止了他。
“不能停,”他說,“讓他繼續比。”
比賽繼續進行之后不久,男孩的對手就犯了一個致命的錯誤:防漏(柔道術語)。男孩迅速用他那惟一的一招絆倒了對手,贏了這場比賽,并最終取得了冠軍。
回家的路上,當男孩和他師傅重溫著每一場比賽里的每一個動作時,他鼓起勇氣道出了心中的困惑。
“師傅,我怎么會用一個動作就贏得了所有的比賽呢?”
“你獲勝有兩個原因,”師傅回答道:“第一,你已經基本掌握了柔道當中最難學的一個動作。第二,要對付這個動作,你的對手惟一可以做的就是去抓你的左臂。”
就這樣,男孩的最大弱點變成了他的最強項