Self-Imposed Limitations: The Four-Minute Mile

Impossible is nothing ~ Nothing is impossible ~ Impossible nothing is

The only limitations we have are self-imposed.

Yeah, ok. That sounds all gravy in theory; but what good is hypothetical-speak and theory without something to back it up, right?

Enter Roger Bannister and the four-minute mile…

And it goes a lil somethin’ like this…

Prior to 1954, running a mile in under four minutes was widely believed to be impossible. It was regarded as almost like the sound barrier for running. Since the feat was considered “impossible” by legions of analysts and sportswriters, it created a (physical and mental) block of sorts among athletes. Some came close, but none had ever broken the four-minute barrier.

One man, however, believed otherwise. His name was Roger Bannister, and he was dead-set on shattering the four-minute barrier. Bannister “did the impossible” on May 6th, 1954 at Oxford University, running the mile in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. And after that, the flood gates opened…

Just two months later, not one, but two runners eclipsed the four-minute mile in the same race. The barrier had been broken down, and people began to pour through. There was no longer a physical/mental block. “The impossible” turned out to be possible. As the years passed, the elusive sub-four-minute mile occurred more and more often. To the point that it has become commonplace these days.

And all it took was one person to believe and achieve the seemingly impossible; to shatter our self-imposed barrier of possibility.

So let’s take some notes from ol’ barrier-breaking-Bannister…

Stop putting limitations on yourself.

Stop putting up blocks and consider anything possible, at least.

Stop building walls to confine yourself.

Stop saying “I can’t” and other self-limiting speech.

Step into the realm of infinite possibility.

Think about this…

A cave man might have considered an airplane to be impossible.

A peasant in medieval times might have considered a telephone to be impossible.

Your great great grandparents might have considered the internet to be impossible.

But, as we all know (hopefully), those things are possible. So what else could possibly be possible? You never know…