Has your negative thinking kept you from moving forward in your vision? Does negative thinking keep reminding you of the failures and mistakes of yesterday? Negative thinking can make you feel that you can’t live pass yesterday’s problems, today’s circumstances or tomorrow’s challenges.
Roger Bannister’s story
Several years ago, I read a powerful inspirational story about Roger Bannister. Roger Bannister was the first runner to break the four-minute mile. Before he broke the record it was widely believed to be impossible for a human to run a mile in under four minutes.
It was believed that the four-minute mile was a physical barrier that could not be broken because of the significant damage it could cause to a runners health. The achievement of a four-minute mile seemed impossible to break.
On a spring day, May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister did what others thought was impossible; he crossed the finish line with a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds and broke what others thought was an impossible record.
The barrier that everyone thought could not be broken physically turned out to be something bigger- a psychological barrier that could not be broken in the mind. Until Roger Bannister decided to break through the mental barriers, he would have never achieved the incredible record setting feat.
Breaking through your barriers
So what happened to the physical barrier that had stifled runners for years from breaking the four-minute-mile? Was there a sudden transformation in the human make up? No! Did Roger receive some kind of super power that enhanced his ability? No! It was the change in thinking that propelled Roger to break what others thought was an insurmountable record.
When he broke through his four minute psychological barrier it released hundreds of male runners to break through their negative mindsets and realize that it was possible for them to achieve the same. I believe the same can be true in your life that when you break through the barriers in your thinking it can lead to others breaking through the barriers in their thinking.
What artificial barriers have you placed in your life? Have you told yourself that you are not smart enough to get the promotion or you don’t have enough experience to start the business? Have you succumb to thoughts that tell you, you don’t deserve a better life or that you will never make enough money to live debt free? Have you convinced yourself that achieving your vision is impossible or out of your reach?
Thinking for a change
I imagine that Roger Bannister heard an earful of negative and discouraging talk. He heard the media say that breaking the four minute-mile was inconceivable. He heard the doctor’s reports that stated it is beyond human possibility. He heard the analysts say the record would never be broken. At times, he may have even questioned, “What am I doing?” But, Roger decided that he was going to fight through all of the obstacles and accept the challenge.
He had a hunger and drive deep within that kept pushing him to his ultimate goal of breaking the four minute mile. His vision of breaking the record was so powerful that it would not allow him to quit or give in to the naysayers. His mind was made up and his will could not be broken.
The moment when he broke through his psychological barriers, the once impossible record became possible. No negative reports. No discouraging opinions. No false barriers were going to stop him from achieving what he knew was attainable.
The best step that you can take in the pursuit of your vision is to change how you think. If Roger Bannister had accepted that the four-minute mile was impossible, he never would have attempted to break through his mental barrier. He would have allowed the negativity to dissuade him. He would have complied with the naysayers’ voice. He would have consented to the dream killing experts.
Instead, he decided to go after his dream. Think of all the things in your life that is possible if you believe you can do it and then take action. Just like Roger Bannister had to not only believe he could break the four minute mile; he had to exercise his belief. To breakthrough your four minute mile, you must believe the impossible and in the famous words of Nike®, “Just do it®.”
“For as he thinks within himself, so he is…” Proverbs 23:7
Question: What artificial barriers have you erected that have kept you from living your vision? Leave a comment.
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