Here’s a generational gem that I first heard from one of my high school coaches. It’s been updated over the years, but that’s only made it even more powerful. I’m very fortunate to have been able to work with high school and college students for decades now, and I must admit that I’m a bit dismayed that this particular gem has not been shared more than it has. I think it’s a message that needs to be revealed, especially today, to both students and adults alike. There are far too many reasons for people to say it can’t be done, the odds are against us, no one’s ever done it, etc. More than ever before, this country needs many more possibility thinkers than we see at the moment. Maybe reviving this particular generational gem may help us move in that direction!

Prior to 1954, the thought of a human running a mile in less than four minutes was considered impossible to the majority of those in the medical and sports fields. It had never been done before this time and experts stood firm in their belief that this was a plateau that the human body simply wasn’t capable of attaining. Now or ever.

For Roger Bannister, a young English athlete from Oxford, this proclamation became a battle cry, an ultimate goal he was determined to reach. Roger was a goal setter … a possibility thinker. He always had been. Regardless of what experts may have thought, Roger set his sights to be the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. What historians seldom share is the number of times Roger failed in his attempt to reach this lofty goal. No one wants to hear that because that was exactly what everyone expected would happen.

Then, on May 6th, 1954, during a meet between British AAA and Oxford University at Iffley Road Track in Oxford, Roger Bannister achieved his goal. This historic event was witnessed by about 3,000 spectators. Just prior to the event, winds were recorded at close to 25 miles per hour, and Roger considered waiting for better conditions to attempt this ambitious feat. However, the winds died down and Roger ran the mile in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds! He went on to become a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 2001. While this is a great story illustrating the importance of possibility thinking, goal setting and determination, there’s an even greater lesson to be learned here.

Once Roger proved to all “impossibility thinkers” that this inconceivable goal could be achieved,  it changed the nature of the thinking about the four-minute mile from negative — it can’t be done — to positive — I can do it.

Within seven weeks, Australian John Landy became the second man to achieve a sub- 4 minute mile, recording a world record time of 3.57.9. In 1964, Jim Ryun became the first high school runner to break four minutes, running 3:55.3 as a junior in Kansas. In the next 15 years, Bannister’s record was broken 260 times by men in 177 races!

Over the years, I’ve had occasion to work with many “impossibility thinkers.” It’s difficult. They take the path of least resistance. They take great pride in the fact that they can provide you with a thousand reasons why something won’t work. They thrive in negativity. They dwell in the majority. They’ll drag you down if you let them. Possibility thinkers set goals, focus, train, continue to learn, practice, take action and never give up. At this point in time, the world needs more possibility thinkers. Is that you?

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

While vacationing in northern Michigan, a management consultant decided to spend a week on the legendary Mackinac Island between the state’s upper and lower peninsulas. The rather small historic island covers a mere 3.8 square miles and is home to a population of just 523 residents. However, it plays host to as many as 15,000 tourists a day during summer prime time.

Motorized vehicles are prohibited on the island so travel is either by foot, bicycle, horse-drawn carriage, roller blades or saddle horses.

While hiking along the uninhabited shoreline, the consultant came across a lone, elderly fisherman who was obviously not one of the many tourists visiting the scenic island. Noting the quality of the catch (whitefish, lake trout and other native species), he asked the fisherman how long it had taken to catch them.

“Not too long,” answered the quiet fisherman.

“Then why don’t you stay here longer and catch even more?” asked the consultant.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The consultant then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, walk and talk with my wife, take a nap in my hammock, and simply enjoy my life on the island. In the evenings, I watch the sun set and the lights on the ‘Big Mac’ bridge begin to twinkle against the night sky. I walk into town and have a beer with my friends, chat with tourists, and watch the ferry boats come in from the mainland. In short, I have a great life,” replied the fisherman.

The consultant shook his head and offered: “I have an MBA from the University of Michigan, and I can change your life. All you have to do is start fishing longer every day and start selling the extra fish you catch. With that additional income, you can soon buy yourself a real, fully equipped fishing boat. Using that bigger boat, you’ll soon have even more money to invest allowing you to add a second boat, then a third and so on until you have a large fleet. Instead of selling your catch to neighbors and tourists, you can negotiate directly with processing plants and maybe even open your own plant some day. You can then leave this small island and move to a large city where you can then direct the empire which you have created.”

“How long do you think that would take?” inquired the fisherman.

“Oh, probably no longer than 15 or 20 years,” replied the consultant.

“And then what?” asked the fisherman.

“That’s the beauty of this entire strategy,” said the consultant smiling broadly. “When your business reaches its pinnacle, you can start selling shares in your company and make millions of dollars!”

“No kidding, millions? Really? And then what?” pressed the fisherman.

“Then you reap the benefits of all your hard work. You can retire back here on the island, sleep late, fish a little, play with your children, walk and talk with your wife, take a nap in your hammock, and really enjoy your life on your island. In the evenings, you can watch the sun set and the lights on the ‘Big Mac’ bridge begin to twinkle against the night sky. You can walk into town and have a beer with your friends, chat with tourists, and watch the ferry boats come in from the mainland. In short, you’ll have a great life,” said the consultant.

HELLO?

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.