The Limits We Learn To Believe
A walking trail near my home follows the path of an abandoned railroad. There is an informational mural explaining how it was once the end of the line from a neighboring city.
Faster Than Anyone Thought Safe
The decision was made to extend it sixty miles to the next major city. The longer span of travel would enable the train to improve service by increasing speed. They surmised it could possibly go 55mph.
This immediately raised concerns about the ability of the human body to withstand travel at such an unnatural speed.
Some imagined the train rolling into the next station filled with dead bodies, victims of physical trauma.
It may sound ridiculous to us but the pace of life in their day was as fast as a horse could carry its rider.
Later in history, there was another misconception about what is possible.
The Mile That Couldn't Be Run
Before 1954, the four minute mile stood as one of sports' most stubborn barriers. Some considered it beyond human capability, as the best runners in the world fell short repeatedly.
Then the world met a man named Roger Bannister.
A medical student and a part-time athlete, Bannister didn’t believe the consensus of human limitation and was determined to break the standing world record.
On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at a competition at Oxford, stunning the world while proving the conventional wisdom wrong. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/hall-of-fame/first-sub-four-minute-mile
Since then, the four minute mile has been accomplished countless times all over the world.
The Record Broken Twice
What has changed since the belief the feat was impossible? Do you think the human body improved in 1954, allowing many others to suddenly run faster?
No. Before Bannister could break past the physical limitations, he had to break out of the psychological limitations of commonly held beliefs first.
Before he broke the record on the track, he had to break it in his mind. Believing the impossible was as monumental of an accomplishment as actually doing it.
We live in an amazing world. One must wonder what it would be like if more people believed for the impossible.
How many other breakthroughs are being delayed by doubters and naysayers?
Probably a more important question would be, what amazing things are you not enjoying because of a false belief?
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right." ~ Attributed to Henry Ford
Long held beliefs give us a confidence in their rightness they may not deserve. But we count them as truth because we believed them for so long. What if they’re wrong? What if a belief was true, but somehow changed over time without our re-evaluation of them?
Or worse, were never true to begin with? Humans tend to believe people they trust. But good people can be wrong even when they aren’t trying to deceive.
When Other People Define Our Limits
False beliefs don't always come from public opinion or legend. Sometimes they are handed to us by people we trust.
In high school, I asked a few teachers I trusted about potential career paths I was considering.
Immediately, each one listed reasons why it probably wasn’t a great choice and the challenges ahead if I pursued it.
As an easily discouraged teenager, I abandoned my desires because someone else thought it was too hard.
The Safety Of Mediocrity
They recommended mediocrity because it’s more attainable and less challenging. Their advice pointed toward a safer path, but also a much smaller one.
None of us will attempt something we believe is impossible, until we change our minds about it and have the boldness to defy the crowd’s opinions.
The teachers I asked were not bad people, but they lacked the vision and optimism I needed at the time.
Most of the world is still running low on both.
What are we prevented from having because of a lack of vision, as a society and personally?
Is it better to strive for nearly unattainable things even if we only make it halfway? Isn’t that better than aiming for average, and then achieving it?
My high school teachers were probably trying to shield me from disappointment and failure.
I’ve experienced both anyway. We all do.
Wouldn’t it be better to fail at a great attempt? Failure is a part of life, it should be a stepping stone to a higher goal instead of a reason not to attempt at all.
Put Your Beliefs Up For Review
Have you given a fresh look at your convictions lately?
The experts tell us to shop for car insurance every few years since rates often change and the agent may not lower your bill if you don’t ask.
The same thing should be done with long held beliefs. See them with fresh eyes. Will they hold up to scrutiny and hard questions? Will you scrap them if they don’t?
More importantly, what becomes possible if you discover you were believing a false belief?
