Our brains are truly amazing. More specifically, the potential created by what happens between our ears--our “thinking apparatus”--is a curious wonder.
This thinking ability can either work for us or against us, moving us towards our most important goals, or it can just as easily keep us stuck. I’ll give an example from the world of sports to demonstrate.
FOUR-MINUTE MILE
Roger Bannister was the first person to break the 4-minute mile barrier. As long as we’ve been accurately timing how fast people run (after 1850), no one had ever broken through that barrier.
Over time, runners inched their way closer and closer, but had always fallen short of that elusive goal.
Then came that special day, May 6, 1954. The location was Iffley Road Track in Oxford, during a track meet between the British AAA and Oxford University.
There’s an interesting story leading up to this event (for example, Mr. Bannister actually decided to not compete that day, but then changed his mind at the last minute), but long story short, Bannister finished the race at 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. A new world record, and perhaps more importantly, the 4-minute barrier was broken, finally.
The story of the pursuit of this record by elite runners is interesting in and of itself, but what really interests me is what happens after this record was broken by Bannister.
Just a short 46 days later, Bannister’s rival, John Landy, broke the 4-minute barrier, as well as Bannister’s record, coming in with a time of 3:58.0.
Now, watch this:
- 1957, July 19, Derek Ibbotson, UK: 3:57.2
- 1958, August 5, Herb Elliott, Australia, 3:54.5
- 1962, January 27, Peter Snell, New Zealand, 3:54.4
- 1964, November 17, Peter Snell, New Zealand, 3:54.1
- 1965, June 9, Michael Jazy, France, 3:53.6
- 1966, July 17, Jim Ryun, USA, 3:51.3
- 1967, June 23, Jim Ryun, USA, 3:51.1
- 1975, May 17, Filbert Bayi, Tanzania, 3:51.0
- 1975, August 12, John Walker, New Zealand, 3:49.4
- 1979, July 17, Sebastian Coe, UK, 3:49.0
- 1980, July 1, Steve Ovett, UK, 3:48.8
- 1981, August 19, Sebastian Coe, UK, 3:48.53
- 1981, August 26, Steve Ovett, UK, 3:48.40
- 1981, August 28, Sebastian Coe, 3:47.33
- 1985, July 27, Steve Cram, UK, 3:46.32
- 1993, September 9, Noureddine Morceli, Algeria, 3:44.39
- 1999, July 7, Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco, 3:43.13—current world record
So, what we have here are centuries with no one breaking the four-minute mile barrier (well, accurate timing only began after 1850, so who knows), and then once it’s finally broken, we have eighteen more runners crossing the threshold into this elite category.
Eighteen more runners!
Prior to Bannister’s performance, many people (who actually knew something about running) considered it impossible to break this 4-minute barrier. But once he broke through, many others followed in his footsteps.
Has training improved over the last half century? I’m sure it has (I’m not a runner). But what happens in our heads is vital—there are many supremely-trained athletes that never perform at the elite level, and more still that never surpass mediocre. Is that simply because of how they limit themselves by their thinking? No, but it often has something to do with it.
THE LESSON
I know it may sound corny to say “if you can believe it, you can achieve it”, but there’s a lot of truth to this aphorism. Sure, it’s an oversimplification to say that all we need to do to achieve great things is to picture it in our minds and “just believe”.
Reaching our goals takes much more than a positive attitude. BUT, at the very least, it BEGINS there.
There’s a spin-off idea, though, that may be even more powerful: “if you don’t believe, then you definitely won’t achieve--guaranteed.”
While it takes many things to succeed, it takes only one thing to fail: thinking something is impossible.
I guarantee you that all the naysayers who said that a four-minute mile was impossible never ended up running a four-minute mile!
So, if you want to sabotage your success, no matter what venture or area of life we’re talking about, then simply believe that your pursuit is impossible, and it surely will be.
In the 60’s, many of the “experts” in the science community believed that it was impossible to send a person to the moon. Wow. Thanks for that “big thinking” (sarcasm intended).
Several decades prior to this, people believed it was impossible to fly at all, unless you happened to be a bird.
What could be possible? A cure for cancer? Why not? In fact, there’s research out there, as we speak, that's held up due to things such as the current “culture” of science and how science is done, politics and funding, the power of drug companies, etc. But people being people, I’m guessing there is also the barrier of some decision-makers believing a cure is impossible.
God bless the researchers that have the fortitude, commitment, and courage to find ways to progress in the midst of “the system”, and who believe a cure IS possible, and don’t just “work” to maintain the status quo. Will a cure happen? Let’s release the visionaries to find out!
THE CHALLENGE
What about you? What’s your “four-minute mile”?
Are you limiting yourself by your thinking? I firmly believe that most people can “be” more than they are and “accomplish” more than they do, whatever that means.
We tend to overestimate our barriers and underestimate our abilities, opportunities, and potential. It’s just one of those quirky things about people.
I invite you to expand your vision of what is possible. Stretch yourself. And believe.
The world needs your brilliance.
--Sean Cox, Chicago