There is an old quote by Henry Ford that I feel everyone should identify with and it goes like this, “whether you say you can or you can’t it’s true”.

Life is full of ups and downs but everyone controls their own effort and mindset. So don’t put mental limitations on yourself before you even start working towards a seemingly impossible goal.

Don’t set yourself short by trying to be societies version of the norm. There is no limit to human potential because often times what people consider a “limit” or “record” is usually only temporary. Man-made records should always be thought of as temporary because time and time again they are broken by relentlessly determined individuals.

Thus, as human beings continue to evolve and new milestones are achieved, previous man-made achievements will be surpassed and pushed into unthinkable realms.

To better understand my hypothesis on human progress, I want to review two historic events. The following events are monumental because they were once considered the limit to human potential in their respective fields.

For the discussion of human potential and record-breaking feats, what better example to look back on than one that changed history, the four-minute mile.

For years, people felt that the four-minute mile would never be broken because it had never happened before. But in 1954 everything changed.

A man by the name of Roger Bannister did something that everyone thought was impossible. He broke the four-minute mile record and changed history. He single-handedly influenced the ideologies surrounding human potential and physical capabilities with one historic moment.

The second example I want to showcase is one that most people are familiar with. This example is another athletic achievement but this time from the Olympics.

For years people thought that the Olympic gold medal swimming record held by Mark Spitz would be unbeatable. He held a record of 9 Olympic gold medals which is an incredible athletic achievement. But then a young swimmer named, Michael Phelps started competing professionally.

After years of hard work and training, Michael Phelps dominated at the Olympic games and quickly became a household name. Furthermore, Michael Phelps crushed the gold medal record held by Mark Spitz of 9 with 23 Olympic gold medals. But not only did he beat one record he also became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time with 28 Olympic medals (which still stands today).

No record is “impossible” but everything takes time. When a long-standing record is broken it often happens because an individual invested years of preparation and training in order to perfect their craft.

Whether it is an individual athletic achievement such as Usain Bolt winning gold or an innovative company such as Space X creating the first self-landing rockets. Human beings have unlimited potential but it is clear that everything starts from within. If you want to break a record or achieve your goals you must be relentless, determined and truly believe the impossible.

Always remember that the norm doesn’t have to be the norm forever. Records are meant to be broken, discoveries are meant to be made and goals are meant to be achieved.

So don’t say you can’t, say you will.