Breaking the Glass: Lessons from a Shark’s Journey
Imagine standing by the shore, watching the waves crash against the rocks. No matter how powerful they are, the waves break, retreat, and return again. But what if one day, the waves just stopped? What if the ocean gave up trying? This is the story of a shark — a creature known for its power — who faced an invisible barrier, much like the ones we create for ourselves.
A marine biologist stood near a large tank, her eyes following the sleek predator gliding through the water. The shark, with its sharp instincts, moved effortlessly, scanning for prey. When small bait fish were released into the tank, the shark’s reaction was instant. It attacked with precision, consuming the helpless fish in seconds.
Next, the biologist placed a transparent fiberglass divider into the tank, splitting it in two. The shark remained on one side, unaware of the barrier. Another set of bait fish swam freely on the opposite side. The shark lunged forward as usual, but this time, it slammed into the invisible wall.
Confused but undeterred, the shark attacked again. And again. Each time, the fiberglass stopped it cold. The bait fish swam safely, while the shark thrashed in frustration. For hours, the predator tried to breach the barrier, its efforts weakening with each attempt, until it finally gave up.
Over the following weeks, the marine biologist repeated the experiment. Each time, the shark grew less aggressive, until it stopped trying altogether. One day, she removed the barrier. The bait fish swam freely, yet the shark stayed motionless. It no longer believed it could catch them.
The predator had been conditioned by failure to believe in a barrier that no longer existed.
How often do we find ourselves like the shark, trapped by invisible barriers of our own making? Conditioned by past failures and doubts, we stop trying, even when the obstacles are gone. The limitations we see often exist only in our minds.
The shark’s story reminds us that the greatest barriers we face may not be real at all. It’s not the failure that defeats us, but our belief in it.
This story is inspired by Martin Seligman’s research on learned helplessness and its effect on resillience.
