New Year

“The man who can drive himself further when the effort gets painful is the man who will win.” –Roger Bannister

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a sub-4 minute mile. Prior to this monumental event, the 4-minute mile barrier had developed such a mystique surrounding it that some considered it a physical impossibility. But the next month the barrier was again shattered by John Landy, and in the following few years broken by almost a dozen more runners. Now, there are almost 900 men who have run a sub-4 minute mile, including a former high school student and a 40+ year-old man.

Up to this point people trained as if this target could not be broken, they believed that not breaking this marker was acceptable. It is true that our beliefs determine how high we set out sights.

Roger Bannister believed he could run a sub-4 minute mile, and so aimed for this goal with all the direction and focus he could muster. After a disappointing finish in the 1952 Olympics, Bannister made an important decision: that he wanted to be the first man to run a mile under four minutes.

(Remember: failures often lead to new realizations that lead to the surmounting of new challenges.)

Ambitious beliefs lead to ambitious goals. Limiting beliefs lead to impotent goals. You will rarely accomplish more that what you set out to, and can’t hit the target if you’re not aiming for it.

Positive thinking isn’t enough, but it creates a mindset that allows the intersection of superior planning and execution

When you believe something is possible, you tend to plan for it. After Roger Bannister made the decision to pursue the 4-minute mile, he changed his training regimen, training more frequently and with harder intervals. He trained with the single-minded intention of beating this record.

His performance on May 6, 1954 was not an accident of fate. It was the intersection of belief, motivation, planning, execution and a little bit of luck.

Simply wishing on a star will not make your goal a reality. But raising your standard and believing you can accomplish something is the first step. With belief comes visualization, and with visualization comes planning, and with planning comes execution. And with a deep, soul-rocking belief in your ability to accomplish a goal comes the motivation and discipline to see through your plan even when the going gets tough.

 

Make a resolution this year believe in yourselves. Set goals that alter your approach to life and learning, accept that success does not come easily but often through hard sacrifices.

• Imagine that goal being reached
• Think about how you will feel in that moment
• Use this feeling as a reminder and drive to motivate you in 2013.