What is limiting you?
Today the 34 year old Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya achieved what no one earlier has achieved, he broke the 2 hours barrier on a marathon (42195 m). He finished the marathon on the time 1:59:40. This means his average pace was 2:50 min/km (21,16 km/h)!! And if you ever been on a treadmill, you know to say the least, that is fast. A big congratulations to you Mr. Kipchoge, impressive!
The Power of Belief: Achieving the Impossible
This accomplishment got me thinking. The fact that this is so impressive and astonishing has nothing to do with running by itself, but everything to do with what we think is possible and doing the ”impossible”. So what does this mean? What does this say about what is possible and what is not? OR perhaps the main question here, what does this say about how crucial our beliefs are for being able to achieve what we want? If we go back in time we can see that whenever a great barrier has been broken, afterwards lots of people follow and continue to break that barrier. Why? Is it because they finally believe that it is possible and suddenly get a stronger belief in their own capacity? I believe so yes. So if our beliefs are so crucial for what we are able to achieve, if our mind determines what we can - and can not do, why do we limit ourselves? If there is anything I believe, I believe that what determines what we can achieve comes down to our own beliefs about what we think is possible. The belief in our own potential.
Belief vs. Reality: The Human Potential
If we look at the humankind from a bigger picture and on how we all are created and on how we function, our physiology - our body and brain, we can see that we all are pretty much the same when it comes down to it and we have the same opportunities (not including different opportunities regarding where in the world we are born, diseases, disabilities, war, economy, etc. in the calculation). However, the main thing that sets us humans apart - what differentiates us is our beliefs and what we believe is possible. Our beliefs in ourselves - our own capacity, and our willingness to achieve whatever we want to achieve (our motivation), will determine whether or not we will put in the effort required to reach our goals. So what is the foundations of your own beliefs? Your beliefs regarding what you can create and achieve? Is it what other people say and think, the ”norm”, what other people already have achieved or do you by yourself determine what is possible for you? The question you should ask yourself if WHY? Why would you believe that someone else can achieve something that you wouldn’t be able of achieving? Things take time, yes, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be done.
The Myth of Talent: Hard Work and Belief
I get the feeling that a lot of people thinks that you either can do something or you can’t, as if the skills required to execute different tasks is something you’re born with. That ”success” (in the terms of achieving what you want to achieve) only is possible for the people born with ”the right type of skills”. I can promise you one thing, and that is if you ask a professional athlete, an artist, a scientist, a CEO of a big company, or a person who’s skills you look up to, if you ask them if ”talent” was the key factor that brought them to where they are none of them would say yes. All of them would say that it was hard work that brought them to their current position, and yes you can achieve the same thing. But to be able to put in those hours you have to believe in what you do. You need to have a dream, believe in it and start acting for it.
Beliefs leads to action
If you don’t believe that you can do something you will never start working for it in by that means, you will never get any results. If you believe that something is possible, you will start working for it, you will get results, get closer to your goal - which will feed your beliefs even more so you will continue to work even harder and within time you will reach that goal. Hard work beats talent every time. So do you take responsibility over your actions, the things you do and don’t do? Can you say ”I gave up” or do you come up with excuses and/or blame the circumstances? Ask yourself what you can control and what you can accomplish by focusing on what you can control.
Unleash your potential and never limit yourself by your own beliefs
So to conclude all of this, all I want to say is never allow limiting yourself and your own beliefs of what you can create and achieve. What we humans are capable of doing comes down to our beliefs. Never let someone else say what you can - or can not do. If someone says you can’t do something or that something can’t be done it’s their own beliefs, their own reality and their own chosen truth of what THEY think is possible. Remember that your reality is a reflections of the things you believe most strongly are possible. If you want to achieve something, go after it, believe in your vision and never stop working for it. Don’t wait until someone else has achieved something before you think it's possible. Go after it and break those barriers!
Dream big and believe big, your mind is the limit.
Believe it or not…