The Four Minute Mile

For many years it was widely believed to be impossible for a human to run a mile (1609 meters) in under four minutes. In fact, for many years, it was believed that the four minute mile was a physical barrier that no person could break without causing significant damage to one's health.

On May 6th 1954 Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. To the revelation of the world, he had broken through the psychological barrier many had held until that point.

Once the four minute barrier had been broken, 56 days later another runner, John Landy, ran the four minute mile in 3 minutes and 57.9 seconds. Within three years, by the end of 1957, 16 other runners also cracked the four minute mile.

What psychological barriers are holding you back? What psychological barriers does your organization, and even the world, hold on to so dearly?