Anyone who knows me knows I’m a big list maker. To do lists. Grocery lists. Gift lists. Any list.
What better time to make a list then now, at the start of a new year? My girl Gretchen Rubin of “The Happiness Project” book and blog and the “Happier” podcast offered a “25 for 2025” fill in the blank list of 25 of your resolutions, goals, and intentions for 2025. Bingo. I was all over it.
I’ve gotten to 16 and number one on the list? Print, publish, finish…whatever the case…a children’s book I wrote many years ago. This is the year I will see it bound and distributed, whether by me or someone else, but done nonetheless. It actually really excites me and warms my heart. More on it as it comes to fruition.
Gretchen Rubin
In the meantime, I can’t hesitate and I have to believe in myself and in my dreams. My BIG dream is to own a cozy bookstore that has a coffee bar and that hosts book clubs and book signings. My local Town Square is the perfect location for it but sadly, Luna Books as I would name it, is probably out of reach barring winning the lottery or my book becoming a bestseller. It would be Luna Books’ first book signing!
Dreams and being creative with them are important. I recently read an article about Erin and Jonathan Carpenter who, after marrying, rented an RV and travelled the country. They saw and experienced a lot, and one surprising thing that stood out among the national parks and fabulous restaurants were laundromats. Yep, we all know them and most of us have all used one. The Carpenters had to as their RV didn’t have a washer and dryer and during their countless hours spent in countless laundromats, they also discovered that the quality and atmospheres of them varied immensely. It got them thinking.
And dreaming.
And doing.
They ultimately settled in Charleston, SC and once there, bought a run-down local laundromat and turned it into not only a place where locals wash and dry their clothes, but where they gather and happily mingle. Yes, they have washers, dryers, and tables for folding, but they also have a small honor system library, comfortable seating, and a kids play area. They have also hosted free laundry days and provide food, live music, and hygiene products to those who need them. So popular is the place, that others have reached out to sponsor everything from the free laundry days to free detergent to a canned goods drive. They proudly proclaim that their state-of-the-art machines, customer-friendly practices, and welcoming, inviting environment set them apart. And while the number of operating laundromats has declined in the last decade, they still play an essential role in communities. There’s actually one right down the street from where I’d love to open Luna Books!
So how do you start? Where do you start? As James Clear wrote in one of his many inspirational posts, “A critical quality to develop in life is the willingness to try. You simply must find enough confidence to give it a go. The human mind is fabulous at learning. You will get better at whatever you practice but before you can develop the skill to succeed, you must find the courage to attempt.” And believe you can do it. This interesting take on it all is called The Bannister Effect.
Roger Bannister is an historic figure. On May 6, 1954 he became the first human to run a four-minute mile. Amazingly, Bannister was not the picture-perfect hyper-focused athlete intent on breaking records. He didn’t train like a maniac and instead trained for just an hour a day. Most of his time was actually spent devoted to being a medical student and he later became a neurologist. What separated him from the rest was not so much his body, but his brain. He focused just as much time conditioning his mind as he did on conditioning his body and believed he could do it and believed the impossible was possible. This mental approach is key because the strength and power of the mind can make one’s dreams limitless. It’s called “The Bannister Effect.”
Two Wharton School professors analyzed this all and in in their book, “The Power of Impossible Thinking,” Yoram Wind and Colin Crook examined Bannister’s feat and his mindset behind it rather than his physical achievement. They also studied the surprising fact that so many runners broke the four-minute barrier soon after Bannister did. It’s as though Bannister not only smashed the record but the negative thinking of doing so. Others saw in him that they too could do something that was previously thought impossible. Just 46 days after Bannister’s feat, an Australian runner bested Bannister’s record by a full second and before the year was over, three more runners broke the four-minute mark…in the same race!
“When you think you are too old to do something new,
remember you will never be younger than you are right now.”
James Clear
It’s no secret that positive vibes beget positivity. Now we’ve also learned by simply believing and trying, you just may accomplish what you thought was out-of-reach. And yes, it’s never too late to start!
Where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish? Is your ambition on par with your dreams? What is the four-minute mile is in your life? Are you ready to run for it or sit in the stands watching all the Bannisters get it done?
Beyond Words 