Have you heard of the shark and fish tank experiment?
A year or two have passed since I first heard this story. I felt terrible since most of my efforts were landing in failures, and none of them yielded any results.
You might have gone through such times where you felt that you couldn’t do it anymore. Those difficult times can have the best of you and may even force you to give up on your dreams.
If you’re experiencing such a situation, do remember this experiment, as it can definitely boost your moods and instill some hope to hold on.
Eager to learn what the story is about? Let us launch right in!
The Shark and Fish Tank Experiment
Once a marine biologist decided to conduct an experiment on a shark. He set up a huge aquarium and released the shark into it.
After some time, he released some smaller fishes right into the other end of the tank.
What do you think happened?
Just like you thought, the shark ate all the fishes in one go.
The biologist then set up a strong, transparent fiberglass wall at the exact center of the aquarium.
The wall divided tank into exactly two parts.
He then released another group of small fishes on the other side of the fiber wall.
As soon as the shark saw the group of fishes, it launched to attack them just like it did the previous time. But to its surprise, it hit the fiber wall with a loud bang and got hurt.
The shark, however, was not ready to give up. It tried again and again to attack the fishes. Each time its efforts ended up in vain.
Slowly the shark was getting tired of trying, and its attack grew weaker each time.
After a few more attempts, the shark gave up and stopped its attack on the fishes. It realized that each time it tried to attack, it’ll only get hurt by the glass wall, and nothing else will be gained.
This experiment was repeated several times, and the shark’s attacking behavior decreased significantly after each time.
After continuous experiments, the fiber wall was removed permanently. Surprisingly, the shark showed no interest in attacking the small fishes even when there were no walls.
Researchers had mentally trained the shark to assume that there would be a glass wall, and nothing can get through it.
What do you think does this experiment teach us?
At some point in our lives, we all go through failures. Bit by bit, this may weaken us both mentally as well as physically.
You will become unsure of the future, and gradually your motivation levels will cease to exist. And finally, you give up.
Just like the shark, you’ll also assume that there is a wall stopping you from your dreams and that you can’t cross it.
But in reality, there won’t be any walls preventing you from achieving your goals. Whatever wall you think there is, it will all be something that’s just inside your head.
Your past failures will create a mental block and discourage you from taking any actions. Your fear of failure can keep you stuck and stop you from making any progress with your lives.
The journey to your life goals will be full of difficulties, problems, and challenges. But to truly enjoy your success, you need to tackle all these adversities.
“The more important an activity is to your soul’s evolution, the more resistance you will feel to it.”
— Steven Pressfield
But if you’re not consistent in your efforts, it’ll take you much longer to start seeing results.
The shark and fish tank experiment highlights the importance of consistency and how important it is for you to adopt this in your life.
Failures may try to knock you out but remember, successful people have failed more than unsuccessful people, and they are what they are because they chose never to give up.
Always give your best and never give up!
Also read: The 7 Things That Stop You From Achieving Your Dreams.
