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In this world, many people arrogantly assume that if they can't do something, and someone else does, it must not be honorable or achieved through their own ability. Including me.

I used to think when I saw someone score full marks on TOEFL or GMAT: "How is that possible? That person must have lived abroad as a child!"

Seeing a middle-aged woman who looks exceptionally well-maintained, I'd sneer: "She must have spent a fortune on Botox and various injections!"

Seeing a young and beautiful girl driving a luxury car, I'd think: "She must be a mistress!"

Seeing a young talent on the rich list, I'd speculate: "It must be a family business!"

Seeing a singer who became famous overnight through a talent show, I'd suspect: "They probably got in through the back door."

...

Such examples happen almost every day, and I once unknowingly sank deeper into this abyss.

Until my senior year, when I went to an interview at a prestigious company. The interview notification email had a final line: "Please bring a Personal Statement (PS) of no more than 30 words."

I thought, "Are they crazy? 30 words?! Just listing the companies I've interned at and the schools I've attended would exceed 30 words!"

I thought, "Absolutely impossible! They must have missed a zero." So I didn't think much about it.

On the day of the interview, I brought a PS that I thought was already very concise. On the way there, I felt frustrated, thinking I hadn't included many things and hadn't fully showcased my strengths. But I had to conform to the company's style of being concise and precise.

At the company, after I submitted my PS, the three interviewers frowned in unison. A foreign man with gray hair asked, "Your PS exceeds 30 words; it's at least 400 words. Why didn't you follow our requirements?"

I was stunned. "What? It really is 30 words? Not a joke?"

I said doubtfully, "30 words? It's impossible to write a PS in 30 words! That's too few!"

A female interviewer said sharply, "Impossible? If it were impossible, why would we ask you to do it?" She held up a stack of PSs in front of me. "They all did it. Why can't you?"

My face turned red instantly, and I stammered, unable to speak. This was the only time I wished the interviewer would say, "Okay, that's enough. Please leave."

But there was a few seconds of silence in the room. Those seconds were as agonizing as a sleepless night for me.

The gray-haired interviewer spoke again: "You think something is impossible because you haven't tried to do it."

I hesitated and said, "Thank you. I know what my problem is. Would it be possible to see others' PSs? I want to know how far behind I am."

They exchanged glances, nodded, and handed me a stack of PSs.

The moment I took them, I was shocked by the top one.

On the entire sheet was a cartoon character modeled after the applicant. At the top was his name, then a huge head with an open top, drawn as a primeval forest made of computer chips, with "computerized mind" written beside it. In his left hand, he held a drawing board labeled "Photoshop Skiller"; in his right hand, he held a stack of reports labeled "Report expert"; on his tie was a microphone with "Good Presenter"; in the heart position was a strangely shaped heart labeled "Creative heart"; he wore shiny leather shoes and wrinkle-free trousers, with "Detail-cared" written beside them...

As I looked, my palms began to sweat.

That PS, with no more than 20 words, I can still recall verbatim four years later, and the image is vivid. You can imagine the shock it gave me and the impression it left on the interviewers.

The next PSs included one with a big wheel of fortune listing several traits, one with a vertical timeline of major accomplishments, and one with cut-out pictures of works the applicant had participated in...

In short, none of them exceeded 30 words!

But after reading each PS, I felt as if a living person stood before me. I knew their personality, their strengths, and their commendable honors.

As for my sheet full of text, they probably didn't even want to look at it, and even if they did, it wouldn't leave any impression.

I returned the stack of papers to the interviewers, bowed sincerely, and said, "I'm sorry for wasting your time. Before coming here, I always thought some things were impossible. Thank you for showing me how foolish my thinking was. Thank you."

As I closed the door behind me, I let out a long sigh.

The way back, I walked slowly.

I wasn't sad about losing the job opportunity, but I was sad thinking about how many opportunities I had missed in the past decade or so. I had turned possibilities into impossibilities.

I realized a fact that was annoying to admit:

Those things I thought were impossible were not actually impossible; I just thought they were.

For a mediocre person who never thinks or tries, many things become impossible!

Later, I tried to make a resume within 30 words. After four nights, I actually did it.

Then I tried to make another brief resume. After three nights, I did it too.

Before that, I thought a resume should be black and white, from education to work experience to hobbies, but it actually had so many possibilities!

But is it really that simple?

Is it because we are incapable, or because we never tried?

The classmate who scored full marks on TOEFL might have been practicing speaking every day until their throat was sore, burning the midnight oil;

The beauty driving a luxury car might have worked hard for years, tired as a dog, saving money;

The well-maintained middle-aged women might go to the gym after work, never sleep on their stomachs, and do a face mask every night, for years;

The outstanding young entrepreneurs might have spent countless sleepless nights, putting in far more effort than we do while we sleep;

The stars who became famous overnight might have spent years in obscurity, diligently honing their skills...

We see nothing, yet we say others are impossible; We try nothing, yet we say it's impossible.

In fact, what we think is impossible, others can really do.

For those who dare not try, everything is impossible.

Thinking is the problem; doing is the answer. Sometimes the answer is hidden behind the question!

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