In his death on 03 March 2018, Sir Roger Bannister left an enduring legacy that is much bigger than the breathtaking mile he ran more than six decades back.

For the starters, let’s travel back in time to understand what he accomplished.

On 06 May 1954, a skinny Oxford medical student, Roger Bannister, became the first person to run a mile under four minutes. Prior to this day, physiologists and athletes believed that running a mile under four minutes is beyond human prowess. His achievement is widely regarded as one of the defining sporting achievements of the twentieth century.

Have you worked on some important goal for months and years, but didn’t make much headway, stayed at an average level? Fitness. Studies. Financial goals. A skill.

Few, on the other hand, achieve their goals in the same or shorter period.

Hard work is table stakes. You’ve to put in the hours if you’re chasing a big goal, but that alone, more often than not, is not sufficient.

I’ll start with few examples from cricket, a popular sport in South Asia and few other countries, to drive home what is meant by intersection of skills.

Every Indian cricket captain wants Hardik Pandya in his team. Why?

Top colleges matter less than what you think. Make an attempt to get into them, but if you fail, don’t treat it as career-shattering, least of all life-shattering event.

You can make a great career from a less-selective college as well.

What if someone told you that you can attain high level of proficiency (a level you admire, and aspire to achieve) in android development or writing or public speaking or a sport or any pursuit in 2-3 years. You’ll likely not believe.

People, by and large, overestimate what they can achieve in the short term (say, 3-4 months) and grossly underestimate what they can in 2-3 years.

You may be leaking precious time and energy without even realizing if you don’t ask few important productivity questions. Here they are: