The moral of the story? No matter how high you jump, how fast you run or swim, how powerfully you row, you can do better. But sometimes your mind gets in the way.

“All maximum performances are actually pseudo-maximum performances,” Dr. Morgan said. “You are always capable of doing more than you are doing.”

From an article on how athletes trick their brains into letting them achieve what their bodies are capable of. I think this anecdote perfectly encapsulates what makes pushing one's personal boundaries so maddening yet rewarding. If I had more time, I would come up with some witty, insightful comments right about here, but I'm afraid I need to run (for work, unfortunately, not for pleasure). Anyone else have some thoughts?

It's quite common to hear fans or commentators who see a soccer player miss an open goal. "He had too much time to think about it." Even a split second of thinking it seems can dampen the body's actual capabilities.

It is pretty amazing to see what children can accomplish when they don't know they "can't" do something.

As Heinlein put it, that cat was so young, he didn't know he can't walk through the wall (from memory, probably not the accurate quote).

Actually, I was able to accomplish something like this many years ago. For at least a month I was trying to build endurance to run three miles. I could barely make one mile. So I jumped into my car and drove the entire route, remembering everything I could about the way the it looked. Then I drove it again and mentally ran it. I imagined every single part of the run and I saw myself finish it and feel good. So the next day, I went out and ran the entire three miles. And I felt good. That was the first time I had ever accomplished anything that required physical endurance. It didn't come easily to me. I have asthma, so I think it was the power of the mind.