Show Me It's Possible

Have you ever heard of Sir Roger Bannister?

He was the first runner to break the 4-minute mile. A feat that was previously perceived as "impossible" by fellow athletes and so-called experts in the field.

What does running fast have to do with your interior design business?

Everything. Because the mind is where success begins.

Let's review some lessons you can take from Roger's record-breaking pace:

You have to believe it's possible to even attempt something great.

Roger believed he actually had the chance to break the record and prove everyone wrong. You see, people who don't try, or make excuses WHY they can't, or just put in very little effort ... reflect their beliefs about themselves. If you don't believe in yourself, you won't even try. You have to have an unwavering belief in your ability to put yourself out there to try something great. And believe me, running your own business IS SOMETHING GREAT.

You actually fail or succeed before you even start. 

Experts do not have the final say.

Roger Bannister worked daily to improve his performance and speed. Experts in fancy suits pontificated on the impossibility of this so-called fact that running a mile in less than 4 minutes was impossible. Roger did not listen. Instead, he continued to focus on his own beliefs and tuned the others out, knowing HE had the final say on what he could accomplish.

Barriers make you better.

How much more practice do you think Roger put in in order to break the record? How did he change his diet to increase his performance? His workouts? Did he lift more weights? Swim more miles to train different muscles? 

Having somebody tell you that you "can't" do something may inspire you to prove them wrong by working longer and harder on your craft. And note: that "somebody" telling you that you can't do it? It's most likely yourself. 

"Almost missed it" is still a win.

They said it was impossible until Roger did it. He ran a mile in less than 4 minutes... even though it was "only" 6 milliseconds under 4 minutes, it was still UNDER FOUR MINUTES. Celebrate your wins, no matter how close of a call they are to not winning.

The "four-minute barrier" has since been broken by over 1400 athletes.

Before Roger broke the 4-minute barrier, it was believed that it was deadly for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes. Why? Because running a mile in less than four minutes, means you're running at FIFTEEN MILES PER HOUR! 

Once athletes around the world were shown "the impossible was possible", they started doing it themselves. In fact, Bannister's record was broken JUST 46 DAYS LATER and has become the new standard for all male professional, middle-distance runners.

So what does this mean for you? It means, that if you see somebody else running a successful interior design business, whether it's five, six, or seven figures in revenue, recognize that if they can do it - so can you!