The Personality Insights Lounge (blog)

If you follow sports, you may have heard of Roger Bannister.  He began his running career when he was a student at Oxford University in 1946.  Prior to that time, he had never actually run on a track.  Back in those days, no one had access to the expert training skills that are offered today.  But, he showed incredible promise in 1947, when he ran a mile in 4 minutes and 24 seconds.  At that time, he had only been training for three weeks!  He was selected as an Olympic possible in 1948, but he did not feel ready for that level of competition.  However, he did attend the Olympics in 1948 and set his eyes on the 1952 games which were to be held in Helsinki. 
 
He continued to train over the next years and saw great improvement.  By 1950, he was running the mile in 4 minutes and 13 seconds.  As time passed, he trained harder and more seriously.  In December of 1951 at the Penn relays, he ran the mile at a rate of 4 minutes and 7 seconds.  Forty-seven thousand people were in the stands cheering him on and with their encouragement, he felt that he could break the barrier.
 
Over the years, there had been many speculations about the possibility of the 4 minute mile.  Some believed that it was impossible, claiming that a runner’s heart would explode if they tried.  Roger Bannister, who later became a medical doctor, stated that many of the propagated myths had been created by sports writers who wanted to profit from the stories.  The world record had been 4 minutes and 1.4 seconds for over nine years.  However, Bannister still thought that the 4 minute mile barrier could be broken and on May 6, 1954, at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, Roger Bannister broke the record. 
 
I wanted to give that background to honor his achievement, but that really is not the purpose of this Tip.  The fact of the matter is that, although Roger Bannister broke a record that had been held for over 9 years, the more amazing thing to me is what happened afterwards.  Forty-six days later, on June 21, Bannister’s record was broken by John Landy, of Australia.  He broke the record by almost 2 seconds! 
 
In the days ahead, Bannister and Landy met and raced each other.  Although Landy led in the beginning, he made a fatal mistake towards the end of the race by looking back over his left shoulder to see where Bannister was and Roger Bannister ran past him to win the contest.  That was a costly mistake which would serve to remind us that we all should keep our eyes on the goal and prize ahead of us, rather than on what might be going on around us.  But, that is still not the purpose of this Tip!
 
I suppose by now you are wondering, “Well, Dr. Rohm, what IS the purpose of this Tip?!”  The point is this; barriers can be broken! 
 
Since the time that particular barrier was broken, there have been runners all over the world who have run the mile in less than 4 minutes.  As a matter of fact, there are children in junior high school who have done it!  What was once thought of as an impossible barrier by the greatest runner in the world has now been surpassed even by junior high kids.  I find that to be remarkable! 
 
What I want you to get from this Tip is that often barriers exist only in our mind.  What is a barrier to me may not be a barrier to you at all.  The things that hinder me in my life may seem very simple to you.  I may let things bother me that are very insignificant.  You may run right past them; and in record time.  Barriers can be broken!
 
I will always be amazed that what was once thought to be impossible is now something that has been accomplished by junior high school kids all over the world.  Isn’t that startling?  Their attitude is just, “Go ahead and do the best you can and see what happens.”  (By the way, I think that is the approach we all should take.)  It worked for Roger Bannister in his life; it works for junior high school kids today; and it will work for all of us, too.  Go ahead, do the best you can and see what happens!

It was reported recently that the United States should be expecting the all-time worst terrorist attack on Washington D.C. within the next few weeks.  While I believe that our elected officials and military are able to effectively deal with the Taliban or any other threat that may come to our country, the point of this Tip is not about the United States’ ability to defend itself.   
 
Every time we pick up a newspaper or turn on the television, we are bombarded with depressing news; crime, murder, abuse, the economic crisis…and on, and on.  I think it is unfortunate that the news media has learned that the only real news that sells is bad news.  Both newspapers and television have tried to promote good news from time to time, but it just does not seem to sell as well as bad news.  And, I suppose that if you have chosen to make a living in that industry, you must provide what sells so that your organization can succeed. 
 
Because of the internet and satellite dishes, we now have access to bad news from all over the world.  News like that has always been around.  We just have not had such free access to it.  Now, with the speed of telecommunications, we are all aware of circumstances, situations and problems much faster.  And, with that accessibility, it is easy for us to fall into the trap of being negative about everything that is taking place.  Although I am a positive, upbeat person, I often find myself talking about the doom and gloom as well. 
 
There is an old saying, “If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”  It should be our goal to look for the good, the pure, and the positive in every possible situation.  We should be agents of hope and encouragement in these difficult days.   There is no way we will be able to solve all of the world’s problems, but we CAN be a positive influence and promote hope to those with whom we come in contact day by day.  I know that I have purposed in my own heart to catch myself when I begin to focus on the negative and immediately try to see what good I can find in what is taking place around me.
 
Let me encourage you to make a conscious effort this week to balance every bit of negative information you hear by saying something positive.  Look for a way to compliment someone.  Find a way to thank someone for the little extra work or service they provide for you.  Become proficient in seeing the silver lining behind the clouds. 
 
The world is out of balance right now and we are tipped heavily to the negative side.  Let’s do all that we can on the positive side to be agents of hope and encouragement to everyone with whom we come in contact.  It will bless them and it will benefit you as well.

Have a great week! God bless you!

Robert Rohm Ph.D.
Personality Insights, Inc.

What if you knew that today was the most important day of your life?  What if you knew that something was going to happen today that would be the turning point of your life?  What if you knew that one day you would be able to look back at some seemingly insignificant occurrence of today and realize that it was a pivotal point for your entire future?  Do you want to know what I believe?  I believe that today is that day.  Let me explain.

Each day of our life contains decisions and circumstances that, although small at the time, add up to create the total picture.  Life’s big decisions and major turning points are all the result of minor decisions and seemingly insignificant events.  If a person gets to the end of their life having attained great financial success, more than likely it is not because they won the lottery.  It is probably because they knew the importance of saving a little at a time, in order to create wealth at the end of the journey.  I think many of us are beginning now to see the wisdom of the older generation who preached that we should save our money for a rainy day and not spend it all as though it were burning a hole in our pocket.  They were right!  Carrying a load of debt with no thought to saving is not really a good way to plan for the future.  Unfortunately, many of us do not learn that lesson until we experience the pain of our poor financial decisions.  And, there are other areas as well.

I had lunch not too long ago with a gentleman who said that in the past he had heard that real estate could actually go down in value, but that he really did not understand that concept until recently when the housing market took a dive.  You see, his experience helped him to understand his knowledge.

The same thing holds true in relationships.  When you get married, you don’t just marry one person.  You marry an entire family!  The wedding is only a one-day event and then the building of relationships in the entire family continues for the rest of one’s life. 

I won’t even go into what a few moments of heated passion can lead to.  You see, it seems like an event at the time, but it isn’t long before you realize it is a building block that affects nearly every area of your life.

And, think about our physical health.  I will always remember the time one of my daughters told me that we could go buy a dozen hot Krispy Kreme donuts and either eat them or just tape them right up on our hips!  Eating foods that aren’t necessarily good for us can seem like an insignificant activity, yet those choices become building blocks which can add inches to our frame and affect our health.

All I am saying is that I wish someone had explained to me early on in life that each day is a building block that helps to create my life.  I was not aware that all of the little decisions and things I did, that seemed to be only one-time events, would build upon each other to become the structure of my life.  The decisions we make, whether they be spiritual, moral, financial, relational, or social, all seem so innocent on a daily one-time basis, and then one day we wake up to see what they have produced.

As we come to the end of this year and prepare for the next, I trust that you will look at life as a total picture.  Let’s construct some great blocks in the future that will build a good life and a greater building because we have realized that the little daily decisions all add up to create the sum total of who we are.

Have a great week! God bless you!

Robert Rohm Ph.D.
Personality Insights, Inc.