The Bannister Effect: How One Athlete Inspired Others to Break Limits
Not long ago, scientists, doctors, and elite runners thought it was impossible for a human being to break the 4-minute-mile barrier.
They believed the human body was not designed to run that fast, and that if too much stress was placed on a runner’s body, their heart could explode before crossing the finish line.
Until a dreamer by the name of Roger Bannister came along one day and said he was going to prove them wrong.
He trained hard and smart, and on the historic day of May 6th, 1954, Roger Bannister succeeded in breaking through the 4-minute barrier, recording a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds.
Bannister was a change agent, doing something everyone thought impossible.
What is interesting is that soon after he broke the 4-minute barrier, other runners who had previously believed it was impossible began breaking it as well. They thought if Bannister could do it, there was no reason why they couldn’t do it as well. This became known as “The Bannister Effect”, when someone does something previously deemed impossible, and then others follow in their footsteps.
Applying the Bannister Effect to Retirement
People have been conditioned to believe that when they reach age 65 or 70, life is over, and they need to retire and rest for the rest of their lives.
An artificial age barrier was created and accepted by everyone until some Retirement Rebels showed up.
Like Bannister, they weren’t willing to accept the existence of this artificial age barrier and decided to challenge it.
In November 2014, a Retirement Rebel named Eleanor Cunningham, a great-great-grandmother, decided to celebrate her 100th birthday by going skydiving. She had taken up the sport at age 90 and wanted to give it another go while she could, eventually establishing a new Guinness World Record.
How’s that for breaking through the age barrier!
Can you imagine your grandmother calling you up to go skydiving? The thought of that makes me laugh; it’s so crazy and awesome at the same time.
And what is more amazing is that a couple of years later, a 102-year-old woman in Australia named Irene O’Shea broke Eleanor’s record.
But wait, there’s more.
In October 2023, a 104-year-old woman from Ottawa, Illinois, set another new world record for skydiving.
Female centenarians competing for the oldest sky diving title – who would have thought that was possible? But they proved to other retirees that it is.
Retirement Rebels Redefining Aging
These Days, We Are Seeing Retirement Rebels Do Some Amazing Things.
90-year-olds are going back to school to get the degree they always wanted.
There are 80-year-olds becoming fashion models.
There are 70-year-olds following in the path of Julia Childs, and going to France to take cooking classes.
60- and 70-year-olds are becoming late bloomers and starting new home-based businesses.
And there is even a 90-year-old astronaut named William Shatner who finally made it into space.
I could go on and on.
The Longevity Revolution: Retirement Rebels Leading the Change
They are the poster children of this longevity revolution we are experiencing. They are redefining old-fashioned beliefs about what it means to grow older, and they are having a lot of fun in the process.
Apple’s famous “Think Different” commercial, in my humble opinion one of the best commercials ever made, applies equally well to these emerging Retirement Rebels.
The words below are from that famous commercial:
“Here’s to the misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.
Here’s to the ones who see the world differently.
They’re the ones who invent and imagine and create.
They’re the ones who push the human race forward.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who actually do.”
Pretty Powerful, Don’t You Think?
Retirement Rebels see the world of retirement differently.
They view it through a new lens.
They invent, create, and reimagine what retirement could look like versus how it was for their parents.
Like Bannister and the 4-minute mile barrier, the story we’ve been told about being finished at age 65 or 70 isn’t true. Age is just a number, and the reality is that we can accomplish some amazing things later in life if we want to and are willing to put in the work. Like Banister did for runners, Retirement Rebels are inspiring other retirees to push through the age barrier and do some amazing things with the life they have left.
Ready to Rethink Retirement?
Join me on June 5 at 2:00 PM EST for a webinar hosted by HomeEquity Bank, provider of the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, and their long-term partner, the Canadian Association of Retired persons (CARP). Alongside CARP’s Chief Operating Officer, Anthony Quinn, I’ll be sharing my proven longevity strategy and simple, practical steps to help you build a more sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle in retirement.
Register now to secure your spot and take the next step toward a purpose-driven future. Let’s break through those traditional retirement barriers together!
