Why do we consider things impossible?
If you think of innovations that would better the world or products that would save lives, why do you default to thinking it can’t be done?
Physical and psychological limitations.
We constantly view accomplishments as impossible because they’ve never been done. And, when it hasn’t been done, we assume it can’t be done. But innovation proves us wrong. Not only is “impossible” a myth, but it’s been proven wrong again and again.
We see the impossible turned into medicine, technology, and world records every day. Why not you? That’s what Roger Bannister thought, and now we celebrate him as an athlete and innovator who paved the way for runners around the globe.
Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, is recognized as more than an athlete. When you understand the story behind the story, you begin to see Bannister as an innovator who decided the impossible was a lie. It was only impossible because he had not yet entered the scene. And then, he did.
Records indicate runners had chased the 4-minute mile since at least 1886. But on a cool, windy day in May 1954 on a track in Oxford, England, Bannister crossed the finish line at 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. For decades, supreme athletes and coaches attempted to break the 4-minute mile barrier. Theories were developed about the weather, training, and preparation that would need to be perfected before the mile could be run in under four minutes.
Despite the push that premier coaching was the only way to run a sub-4-minute mile, Bannister trained solo. He often ran by himself in whatever weather conditions the region offered. Unlike countless other runners before him, Bannister understood he would have to mentally complete the task before he could physically complete the task.
As British journalist and runner John Bryant explains, the stopwatch was as much a “psychological barrier as a physical one.” When Bannister broke the unachievable time, something remarkable began to happen in the running world. Within 46 days of Bannister’s accomplishment, an Australian runner conquered the 4-minute mile. Then, three more runners beat the time within a year of Bannister’s record. To date, around 1,500 people have accomplished the goal.
Innovation demands that you release mental boundaries and explore beyond what you know to be true. Impossible is a myth, and it’s your turn to prove it.
See It For Yourself
Watch as Bannister paces himself to break the presumably impossible 4-minute mile marker in Oxford, England in 1954. In just under four minutes, Bannister dismantles the assumption that innovation requires perfect conditions and a boisterous crowd of tens of thousands of fans. This is what defeating the impossible looks like.
