A Different View Of Weakness

I have another story for you, about a guy who lost his left arm in an accident. A tough break, but he gradually recovered and started to live again. Trouble was, he felt a bit vulnerable on the streets.

He wanted to get his confidence back, so he decided to get self-defence lessons. The problem was, nobody wanted to take him on.

One guru looked at him sceptically and said, "Okay, but I have one condition: You must never question my instructions." The guy agreed, though he wondered what he had let himself in for.

First lesson, the guru taught him a three-part move that he could use with one arm, the guy was delighted and practiced it like crazy. The next five lessons, the guru reiterates the same move. The guy isn't allowed to argue, so he just gets on with it and the move becomes second nature.

Then the guru tells him there's a competition in two weeks, and he should enter. The guy's thinking, "What? With just one move? Are you kidding me?" But the guru says, "No questions."

So they go to the competition, the guy is feeling downbeat and unsure. But he wins his first bout, then the second, then the third. In the fourth bout, it goes to extra time, but he nails his special move with extra speed and wins.

Then he's in the final against a wily foe, and it's a back-and-forth battle. But finally, he gets his chance to attack with his special combination, and amazingly, he wins the whole tournament.

He's ecstatic, can't believe it. He tells the guru, "That one move won me the whole tournament!"

The guru replies, "I can believe it. The only defence against that move requires your opponent to grab your left arm. Your weakness was your strength."

Remember, in life, it's not about what you've lost, but what you've got left and what you do with it.