By Ahmed al-Akber/Dubai
It is said that experts believed that the human body was not capable of running a one-minute mile. It was dangerous and simply impossible. In the 1940’s the record was brought to 4:01, where it stood for nine years. Had the human body reached its limit? Most people had believed so, so there it remained for nearly a decade.
Then along came Roger Bannister in 1954 who broke the record at 3:59.4. While that was an amazing feat at the time, what was even more incredible was that the four-minute mile was broken again six weeks later. And then more and more people started breaking the four-minute mile, until it became routine. Now even athletic high-schoolers break the four-minute mile all the time – it’s not that big of a deal.
What has changed? The human body certainly hasn’t. It’s the human mindset that has. You see, once you believe you can achieve something with a level of intensity that makes it certain within your own mind, then opportunities open up that help you achieve it.
What goals do you have that currently seem unachievable that you wish to achieve? Does your business want to achieve something great but is being held back due to negative mindsets? Imagine breaking through your own four-minute mile, whatever challenge it may be. It sounds daunting now, but imagine how easy it will seem once you’ve actually achieved it.
If something seems too difficult to achieve, or if your mindset is not in the right place, use the following techniques:
1) Visualise achieving success. Repeated experiments have shown that visualisation physically changes the way your brain is wired, leading you to be better prepared for the event you are visualising.
2) Emulate other successful people that have done what you want to achieve. They can show you how to do it quicker and with less effort. Pay them for the advice if you have to, but this is a must if you want to achieve big goals.
3) Change a little at a time. A successful plastic surgeon once commented that the difference between a woman that is ugly and one that is beautiful is only 2mm. Small changes can make a big difference. Affecting even small change now can have a big impact in the long run. Look for that low-hanging fruit in your own business or your life that can be easily turned into successes in the long run.
♦ Ahmed al-Akber is the managing director of ACK Solutions, a firm that helps companies to improve their marketing and sales results by offering more effective ways attracting customers and significantly better products and services. Ahmed has worked internationally in marketing, sales, and strategic planning at companies such as the Coca-Cola Company, Philip Morris International and Dell. Questions or comments can be sent to Ahmed on [email protected]
Ahmed al-Akber
