Are you calling what you are doing right now impossible just because no one has done it before? Or better still, are you questioning whether excellence in the process can be achieved?
The true-life story of The Four-Minute Mile illustrates this point. Prior to 1954, people believed it was humanly impossible to run a mile in four minutes or less.
The so-called “experts” claimed that any attempt to do so would result in the runner’s heart spontaneously exploding, leading to instant death. Despite the lack of evidence, professional runners carried this fear in their minds and chose to play it safe.
However, a young man named Roger Bannister, at just 25 years old, decided to attempt the impossible. He was willing to go where no one had gone before. He challenged these so-called experts and set out to prove them wrong by running a mile in under four minutes.
Everyone discouraged him. Friends and family urged him to listen to the experts who predicted doom, but he remained resolute. He and a friend set a date and prepared for the race.
You can imagine the fanfare that day. The clock watchers were there. The news reporters were there. The experts were there. The record keepers, his friends, family, supporters, and even those who wished to see him fail—all were there.
At 3 minutes, 59 seconds, and 4 nanoseconds, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.
His heart did not explode. Instead, he made history, and a monument was erected in his honor.
But that’s not the best part of the story. The best part is that after he set the record, others began to break it as well. To date, over 1,400 athletes have run a mile in less than four minutes.
In fact, a new record was set for the fastest mile—3 minutes, 43 seconds, and 14 nanoseconds—by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj, a whole 17 seconds faster than Roger Bannister. What was deemed impossible just 66 years ago is now commonplace. All it took was one person to challenge the impossible.
What are you calling impossible simply because no one has done it before?
In 2018, Apple became the first American company to hit the trillion-dollar mark—something deemed impossible just 20 years prior.
Barely a few months later, Amazon joined the ranks. In 2019, Microsoft followed suit. Then, in 2020, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, became the fourth company to hit the trillion-dollar mark. It took just one company to break the barrier, and others followed.
What dream are you afraid to pursue because no one has done it before?
What goal are you afraid to set because no one in your family has ever achieved it?
Where are you afraid to venture because no one has gone there before?
Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
Will you be a spectator in life, watching others achieve the impossible? Or will you take the stage and attempt the impossible yourself?
No one remembers the spectators; they only remember the performers.
Don't quit just because no one has achieved excellence in the path you have chosen. While seeking a mentor is valuable, nothing is truly impossible if you strive and work hard to achieve it.