“They said” it couldn’t be done. “They said” the human body was simply incapable of achieving it. Nevertheless, on this date in 1954, Roger Bannister, a medical student running for the Amateur Athletic Association of Britain, ran a mile in three minutes, fifty-nine and four-tenths seconds. That’s right—3:59:4.
I’d call that cutting it a little close, but “under” is “under,” and Roger Bannister’s name immediately and indelibly went down in the history books, forever as the first to accomplish this feat. He set a goal, researched it, trained for it, asked for help from his friends (a “pacemaker” ran like a rabbit before the greyhounds to keep Bannister’s lap times on par), and he stuck to it until he achieved it.
That’s what people do when they are serious about achieving a goal. It’s all well and good to say “I’d like to do that,” but suiting up and showing up is not enough. One must do what it takes to insure success. Lip service doesn’t cut it; meticulous footwork does.
I have no intention of ever running a four-minute mile. For one, my knee doc says it’s foolhardy for anyone my age to abuse their joints like that. For two, I have several other, perfectly fine goals to work toward that do no involve any type of “pacemakers,” and I’m quite content to keep it that way!
So what about you? Yes, you—the reader who read this far—what are your goals? And what are you willing to do TODAY to achieve them?
You don’t have to answer that publically, it’s just food for thought. Clearly defined goals, broken down into baby steps, will eventually get you to your finish line. Putting it off another day will not. It’s as simple as that.