Recently, I read a pretty extraordinary paragraph about the human heart and soul. (Don’t make that face, it was gross or gooey. It’s cool stuff.)
In 1954 Robert Bannister was the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes. Before that time experts and sports writers thought it was impossible. Bannister was a good runner but suffered some sizable defeats in his career. After his failure at the 1952 Olympics, Bannister spent two months deciding whether to give up running. Instead he set a new goal: to be the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.
And he did it… because his heart and mind were determined and focused. So his body followed.
Now old people sometimes break the four minute mile because they believe in their hearts in can be done.
Some folks want to say man kind has gotten faster because of advanced training and nutrition. But take a look at racehorses. Their training, nutrition and even breeding have improved DRAMATICALLY. Saddles are lighter, jockey and trainers are smarter but horses haven’t really gotten much faster.
Racehorses, unlike human beings have improved a little but not really that much. In 1915 regret won the Kentucky Derby with a time of 2:05, and the winners in 2010 and 12 were both 2:04. One notably exception. in 1979 Secretariat ran the derby in 1:59. In more than thirty years.
Why are humans getting stronger and faster but horses are not? It’s all in our head and our heart.
My daddy, I. Granger, McDaniel always told me, “when you imagination excepts it as reality, it will become the truth.”
When I was a little girl I didn’t understand.
When I was in high school I rolled my eyes.
When I was in college I thought his idea was bull shit. (most college students are such know-it-all-doubters)
But now I understand and I believe. I know he was right.
When we invest our heart and soul completely and we are willing to do the hard work (that’s were most of us fail cause sometimes hard work sucks), we can do anything, because we are human and we have the heart for it.
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