Break the frame

Roger Bannister was a neurologist and an athlete. He was determined on running a mile in under 4 mins. This was 1954. People thought it was impossible. Experts believed that it would be life-threatening…heart-exploding!

On 6th May of that year, he proved them all wrong. He ran a mile in 3 mins 59.4 seconds and set a world record for running the fastest mile 🏃.

The story doesn’t end here.

After 1.5 months, another athlete broke his record.

Another couple of months later, another runner broke the new record.

Within 5 years, a high school boy ran a sub-4 mile and astonished the world!

What the hell happened?

The crazy physical effort required to run that fast didn’t change. What changed with Bannister’s performance was the mental frame of the human mind.

What was impossible before was now possible.

Robert Bannister made such a huge impact on the understanding of human psychology that they named this behavior, the Bannister effect.

Bannister effect states that you have to believe that something is possible before it becomes possible.

We are all capable of our peak performance. For most of us, peak performance is so much more than what we think.

We constrain our minds within a frame. This imaginary frame limits our thinking. Been there, done that 🙈👇

Skipping a meal was always a big deal for me, especially breakfast.

💭 I’d be famished if I had to skip one..my head would hurt. I’d feel weak! 💭

It was my mental frame years back. Now, I intentionally skip a meal every now and then, without any problem whatsoever.

What broke my frame, you ask?

My husband started intermittent fasting and he made it look like a breeze. Another runner friend of mine would go for longish runs occasionally while fasting. He’d easily last a half marathon distance on water alone while I’d be fumbling to take out energy gels from my backpack. Now I see people fasting for 24 hours regularly and they are in a peak state of their health.

These guys didn’t just help me break the imaginary frame I’d built. They helped me shatter it.

After you break a frame, your mind builds a brand new one. Hopefully a bigger and better one. Once your mind overgrows that too, it’s time for it to move houses again.

We are capable of so much more than what we think. You think you can't run? I bet you can. You think you can’t run any faster? I bet you can. You think you can't earn more? I bet you can. You think you can’t become any fitter, wealthier, stronger, happier? I bet you can.

Just break your frame.

Breaking the frame liberates us from mental limitations. Our mind becomes free to set new, higher expectations of ourselves. And once you think you can, you know you can. When you know you can, you’ll find a way.

As we end this year, take a moment to reflect. How many frames did you break this year? Which frames do you want to break in the coming new year?

Happy breaking 🛠 happy building 🖼