Most of you have heard of the great Houdini, who was a famous magician and, even more importantly, a master locksmith. He claimed that he could escape from any locked jail cell within sixty minutes, provided he was allowed to enter wearing his regular street clothes and was not watched while he worked.

One story tells of a small town in the British Isles that decided to challenge the great Houdini. The town had recently built what they believed to be an escape-proof jail and invited Houdini to see if he could break out of it.

Houdini accepted the challenge. He was allowed to enter the jail in his street clothes, and everyone turned their backs and left him to work. Hidden in his belt was a long, flexible steel rod, which he used to try to manipulate the lock.

He worked for thirty minutes, then forty-five minutes, and soon an hour had passed. He was perspiring heavily. After two hours, he was completely exhausted. Finally, he leaned against the door, and to his amazement, it fell open.

The townspeople had never locked the door. That was their trick on the great escape artist. The only thing that had been locked was Houdini’s mind.

Many of us are like Houdini. We believe that we cannot overcome our problems, limitations, or challenges. Yet often, the only place where something is truly impossible is in our thinking. The real lock is not on the door—it is in the mind.