Winner of KIFL Speech Contest 2009
Nothing Is Impossible
Shawn Mullins, November 2009

I once heard about a salesman who was so persuasive that he could sell a freezer to a man living in the North Pole, and about another one who could convince a man in a wheelchair to buy roller skates. Impossible you say! Ridiculous! However, today some incredible people, who don't know the meaning of the word “defeat,” accomplish what could be considered the impossible.

There are a few people in my life whom I consider heroes. One person would be Michael Jackson, a man who practiced dancing so much in his hotel room after a concert that cleaners would find puddles of sweat on the carpet. Another person would be Bob Marley, the only person in history from a third-world country to become famous for his music. Nevertheless, the person who influenced me the most is a Japanese baseball player known by the sole name of Ichiro.

I believe he is one of the most successful Japanese baseball players of all time. In fact, today he is the most famous Japanese in the United States of America . However many think or believe that Ichiro is a natural, born with special talents. Here is the surprising truth.

When Ichiro was young, he always practiced baseball. He ran every day, practiced his swing, lifted weights, and more. Can you believe such a young boy would practice so hard? When I was young, I preferred playing with my friends over any kind of practice. Ichiro was different. He knew he had to sacrifice his time playing with friends in order to be successful, but he didn't mind this because he loved the game of baseball so much.

The efforts he made as a child were the foundation of his future success. Ichiro once said “Bringing together a series of small things is the only way to reach an enormous goal.”

Have you ever heard of the Koshien Stadium? This is the place all high school students dream of playing at someday. It would be similar to playing in the famous Yankees Stadium as a kid. I once had a chance to play at Koshien, but unfortunately we lost in the finals.

Ichiro had a chance to play there, too. Interestingly, at that time he was famous for his pitching, not his batting skills. He was later scouted by a professional baseball team for his pitching skills. Sadly, one day he was in an accident. He got hit by a car, broke his leg, and that incident ended his pitching career.

Ichiro later returned to the game as a right fielder and leadoff batter. His ability to hit a baseball really changed his life. He became a professional player but spent many years in the minor leagues struggling. However, Ichiro overcame these hurdles to become a super star.

He set many records including seven straight years as a leading hitter, golden glove winner, the most stolen bases, the record for most hits in a season, and more. These records are all amazing and he will definitely be elected to the Hall of Fame. He couldn't have done this without long hours of practice and sacrifice. Ichiro once said after a game, “I always do my best but unfortunately today, I didn't achieve good results. However, I don't feel sorry because of this and I'm not ashamed of myself because I did everything I could” He believed in himself.

Ichiro has a very famous saying. He says, “Everyone thinks that I'm a genius. But I am only if you define a genius as a person who works hard and succeeds. Then I guess you can say I'm a genius” These words are inspirational to me.

This reminds me of when I was a high school student on the baseball team. We were playing against an undefeated team. The bases were loaded in the bottom of the ninth. We were losing by five runs, but we never gave up. One hit led to another, and amazingly we were able to overcome a five run lead and win the game. We believed that we could do it. And we did!

In other words, this victory proved that giving up is nonsense. Nothing is impossible. I still get goose bumps when I talk about this. Believing in yourself, and never giving up is critical to success. In order to succeed, making a continual effort is essential. If you have a dream don't give up. I guarantee that you'll have a chance to succeed. Remember, “Nothing is Impossible.”