FEATURE - February 2020

How to Be an Invincible Being

by Serina Aramaki 

 

We shall never truly be defeated in life.

(From Invincible Thinking by Ryuho Okawa)

 

What does it mean to be an invincible being? Ryuho Okawa, global visionary, renowned spiritual leader and founder and CEO of Happy Science, the fastest growing and most influential spiritual movement in Japan today, talks extensively about this in his book Invincible Thinking—a book that has sold more than two million copies in Japan.
 

“Invincible thinking is a powerful attitude that enables us to triumph under any circumstance,” Okawa says. “It helps us learn from both success and failure and grow into capable and exceptional leaders. Invincible thinking embraces the philosophy of positive thinking and principle of self-reflection, which together help us shape our future as we face all the circumstances life brings.”
 

Here are three introductory steps to becoming an invincible being. The first step is: 

 

Discover your invincible self 

 

To make this discovery, take time and contemplate the possibility that you, and you alone, are the one limiting your potential and capabilities. Are you letting past failures take over your life? Do you have a fixed image of who you are or what kind of person you should be? 

 

Okawa is clear that we become the person we think we are, so the first step to invincibility is removing negative self-talk and limiting internalized images of the self that keep us from becoming the person we want to become. “You are what you think,” says Okawa. “The problem is often that our minds are stuck in the past, and past failures remain strong in our thoughts.”

 

So, monitor your thoughts. Grab hold of that inner critic when s/he surfaces and identify your negative self-images and where they come from. Maybe you did poorly in school and think you’re not smart enough to be successful in business? Maybe your sisters teased you about your clothes growing up and you think you’re not talented enough to go into fashion design? Maybe you want to learn to rock climb but don’t go for it because you still think of yourself as the overweight, uncoordinated kid from gym class who couldn’t possibly scale a mountain? Whatever the limiting belief, write it down and realize it’s not the truth of who you are now. It’s just a past story blocking you.

 

By making concrete efforts to identify your negative self-beliefs and stories and go beyond them on a day-to-day basis, be assured that you will make steady progress to discovering your invincible self. 

 

The second step is: 

 

Master your time in life

 

During the course of any lifetime, we go through various experiences, some good and others bad, bringing both happiness and misery. If you look at how people deal with the various situations life brings, some make smooth progress as long as things are going their way. It’s easy sailing a yacht in a tailwind. Right? But as soon as they find themselves facing a stiff headwind, they stall out and stop progressing. They complain, quit, and go under like a capsized ship. Many people fall into this category. 

And then there are the others at the opposite end of the spectrum who show an indomitable will to persist with their dreams and desires even in the face of adversity and opposition. “An indomitable spirit is an essential attitude we need to cultivate to be truly empowered by invincible thinking,” says Okawa. “We all get excited about new ideas, but the authenticity of our wishes can be proven in the passage of time.”
 

To see whether you are using the power of invincible thinking, reflect back on yourself and your goals from six months ago, a year ago, two years ago or three. Have you moved steadily forward towards your dreams and desires? Have you regressed and backed off? Have you given up altogether? 
 

We need to constantly check whether we are staying on or straying from the path we set for ourselves. 
 

The third step to invincible being is:
 

Finding God’s purpose in everything 
 

A crucial point to effectively and permanently turning our perspective around and becoming an invincible being is opening up to the idea that there’s more going on than just focusing on positive thinking, self-growth, personal achievement, and making our journey through life smooth sailing. Changing our perspective to see the positive light in everything is founded in a core belief that life has a deeper purpose and that the universe and the world we live in now were designed with divine benevolence and purpose. 
 

Positive thinking is highly secular. Invincible thinking, on the other hand, helps us find our purpose in discovering and gaining light from all our various experiences in this physical world by becoming convinced deep within that this is God’s world of goodness and splendor. When you bring the divine into the picture, then no matter what your condition or situation, your surroundings should not appear vile to you. “Everything we find in this world is a precious material that can promote our spiritual growth and enrich our souls,” says Okawa. “Going through life with this perspective will help us to never allow any precious resource for spiritual learning and nourishment to go to waste.”
 

When we live from this perspective, we find ourselves continually winning in life. We develop strong, unshakable minds and solid, fortified hearts that are impervious to hardship. We can take advantage of difficult times to fertilize our souls and grow, no longer fearing adversity, truly becoming invincible beings.
 

Interested in becoming invincible? Check out the film Immortal Hero, based on the true story of Ryuho Okawa, who suffered complete heart failure, yet literally came back to life through the force of his own mind and will in order to complete his mission on Earth to help uplift humanity. Since then, his life and his works have inspired millions.  For more information visit www.immortal-hero.com.

 

 

 

 

 

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