by Henry

Cultivate a Growth Mindset

Vasily Alekseyev was tricked into lifting 500 pounds over his head.

Until 1970, many weightlifters had only come close to cracking that psychological barrier.

So when his trainers told him that the bar was loaded with slightly less than 500 pounds, a weight he’d lifted before, he threw it up like a matchstick.

Only they had lied—he’d actually lifted 500.5 pounds. Over the next seven years, he continued to smash records, topping out at 564 before retiring.

Because seeing is believing, many others started lifting 500+ soon after.

Remember Roger Bannister? Until 1954, everyone believed a human couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. Then Roger did it, and his record stood for only 46 days. In the next 50 years, more than a thousand runners beat the four-minute mile.

What changed? Only a belief in what’s possible.