The beginning of possibilities

On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister did the impossible. He ran a mile in less than four minutes.

Before Roger did it, everyone had said it was humanly impossible. Here are some of the reasons for the impossibilities:

• The human body was simply not capable of that kind of speed and endurance.

• Lung capacity and oxygen intake were limiting factors - runners’ bodies couldn’t get enough oxygen at a fast enough rate to sustain the effort.

• The training and nutrition ideas were too primitive for runners couldn’t unlock their full potential.

• Track surfaces and shoe technology were not advanced enough to support that pace for four laps.

Guess what? After Roger did it, 6 weeks later, someone else also did the same, and then thousands of athletes since then have run a mile in under 4 minutes.

It turned out that although it was really difficult to run that fast, the reason for the impossibility was simply a psychological belief. And this was powerful enough to prevent even the best athletes from hitting the goal.

It’s impossible until someone else does it. But most times, it’s also invincible until someone else threads the path and shows the way.

I’m not like Roger Bannister, I have probably never been the first to do anything. But as a young Nigerian boy working in a global space where people like me had historically not had the opportunity to lead and thrive, I am indebted and grateful to those who showed it was possible.

Recently, a friend of mine graduated from his class as the best student and as I praised him for this achievement, he quietly told me, “You showed me it was possible”.

I wasn’t the first Nigerian to graduate top of the class, but the difference for my friends was that he knew me; I was “real”.

My interest in education was sparked in 2017 just by hearing a friend speak about her volunteering experience in a school. Thousands of people volunteer every day but it took listening to a friend to spark something that then became a passion and a career.

So even though you might not be the first person ever to set the pace, you might be the first “real” person to do something that creates spaces for possibility for another human.

Whenever we break barriers in our own lives—whether visible to the world or quietly personal—we create new waves carrying inspiration, possibility, and hope to those around us: whether a friend, a sibling, or a stranger. And sometimes, being a witness to possibility is spark enough to create a fire that lasts a lifetime.