I used to think that my limits were set in stone, that my body could only handle so much.
For example, I started running in 1990, fresh out of college. I wasn’t a runner, so my goal was modest: to run two miles non-stop in under 20 minutes... just two 10-minute miles.
Surprisingly it didn't take very long to achieve that goal, or even the ultimate goal of running a marathon.
But the thought of running 100 miles didn’t even exist. Nope, not even close.
Running 100 miles was impossible. Not only impossible, but unthinkable. Who does that? Insane people do, that’s who. Or at least that’s what I thought. But one day, years later, I saw people running 100-mile races and they didn’t look like superheroes— insane, yes—but not superheroes.
My perspective started to shift. I was like, "If they can do it, I can do it, right?"
Fast forward to 2006, I found myself at the starting line of my first 100-mile race. It was incredible to think that the same body that had a goal of only two miles was about to attempt one hundred miles. The only things that changed were my age, and more importantly, my perspective.
And when I crossed the finish line, my perspective changed even more. I no longer saw my limits as absolute, but rather as a challenge waiting to be conquered. This shift in perspective wasn't limited to running, it extended to other areas of my life too, like fasting. When I first heard about people fasting for days on end, I thought it was impossible. But I knew that was just my perspective. My new outlook told me that it was possible... not just for them, but also for me... and that the limits I once believed in were just in my head.
So, the next time you think "not possible" ask yourself if that’s just your current perspective talking.
In business and in entrepreneurship and in life, the people who win are those who don't have limiting beliefs. And being "smart" has nothing to do with that kind of mindset. That's why I believe perspective can be worth 80 IQ points.
