Mastermind success! You can, if you think you can

Have you heard of Roger Bannister? He was the first athlete to run the mile in less than four minutes.

In doing so, he not only broke the four-minute barrier, but also taught us all a valuable lesson.

Back in the 1950's, the world record - 4 minutes 1.4 seconds - was held by Sweden's Ginder Haegg. The record stood for several years since it was set in 1945. Athletes, experts and the world were convinced that it was impossible to run a mile in less than four minutes. Some even argued that the human body was biologically incapable of running the mile in less than four minutes!

And then, on 6th May, 1954, Roger Bannister did the impossible. He broke the four minute barrier, finishing the race in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.

His rival - Charles Landy - had thrice run the mile in less than 4 minutes 2 seconds without breaching the 4 minute mark. The four minute barrier was "like a wall", Landy had said. But guess what? Just 56 days after Bannister's feat, Landy ran the mile in 3 minutes 57.9 seconds. And by 1957, 16 athletes around the world ran the mile in under 4 minutes. The 4 minute mental barrier was truly shattered!

What really happened? Did coaches get smarter and teach the athletes new techniques? Did running shoes get more sophisticated? Did bodies suddenly get stronger? No. The 4 minute barrier it turned out was not a physiological one - just a mental one! As Roger Bannister explained later, it seemed illogical that you could run a mile in 4 minutes and a bit, but not break 4 minutes. His mind refused to accept that barrier. That made all the difference.

Once that mental barrier was broken by Bannister, everyone believed it could be done! And once the belief changed, the rest was easy.

It's important to understand that our achievements in life are limited not by what we can do, but by what we think we can do. More than ability, it's our attitude that makes the difference. As Henry Ford said, "If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you are right".

We probably find our mind constantly grappling with two competing thoughts: 'I can't!' and 'I can!' How do you ensure the 'I can' wins? How can we break our mental barrier of 'I can't'?

There was a man in Alaska who had a black dog and a white dog. His dog fights attracted large crowds. Every week people would bet on which dog would win. Sometimes the black dog won, and sometimes the white one. One lady noticed that no matter which dog won, the owner always bet on the right dog, and won each week. When the man retired the two dogs, the lady asked him the secret.

"Simple," said the man. "I always bet on the dog I had been feeding all week."

So whether 'I can't' wins in your mind or 'I can', depends on which thought you are feeding!

Winners feed the 'I can' dog in their mind. The thought we feed, grows! Focus on our strengths, and they will grow. Or keep thinking of our weaknesses and our fears. And unfortunately they'll grow too.

We won't always find a Bannister to break our mental barrier. We need to do it ourselves. Once we start feeding the 'I can' thought, we will achieve more than we ever thought was possible! We will all be winners.

What's common between Buffett, Gates & Tendulkar?

Warren Buffet... Bill Gates... Sachin Tendulkar... The sheer mention of these larger-than-life demigods fills us with awe and reverence. They seem like glorious stars; so many light years away that we are content just gazing at them.

Most of us have grown up believing that all great people have some inborn talent. As if they were just meant to be that way. Have you ever thought if it would be possible to be like them? If you haven't, you may want to reconsider after reading this. Okay, let's consider what it takes to become a super-achiever.

Achievement= Innate talent+ Opportunity+ Preparation.

There is not much to debate about this equation. These three ingredients pretty much make up the recipe for success. The interesting part is this... Research on super-achievers has led psychologists to this conclusion: Preparation plays a much bigger role in determining an individual's success than innate talent. Wow! This means that even if you're not a born genius, you haven't lost the battle. All you need is a willingness to prepare well.

Now the next question is quite obvious. How much preparation to become a world-class expert? Through extensive research in the 1990s, psychologist Anders Ericsson arrived at a precise number: 10,000 hours. Various studies strongly pointed that 10,000 hours of practice was required to achieve world-class expertise in anything. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery.

Warren Buffet, for instance, is famed for his discipline and the hours he spends studying financial statements of potential investment targets. But his informal schooling in business and investment started much early when he was just 5. As a kid, Buffett displayed a keen interest in making and saving money. He would go door to door selling chewing gum, Coca-Cola, or weekly magazines. While still in high school, he carried out several successful money-making ideas. By age 11 he made his first investment buying a stock. And by age 13, he had filed his first income tax return.

Source: Take our own little master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar. He is known for spending long hours at the nets, always perfecting his cricketing reflexes. Take Microsoft's founder Bill Gates. He met the 10,000-hour rule when he gained access to a high school computer at the age of 13, and spent 10,000 hours programming on it. Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good.

Source: www.equitymaster.com