Some time ago the following experiment was undertaken at a marine aquarium. A savage barracuda was placed into a large tank of water. The tank was then partitioned down the middle with another piece of glass, and a mullet fish was placed into the other side of the tank. Immediately the barracuda tried to attack the mullet but half way across the tank, the onslaught was abruptly and painfully cut short by the wall of partitioning glass. The barracuda recovered and tried again, and again, and again, but each time he bumped his snout against the glass. Eventually, the barracuda learnt that chasing mullet fish was a painful experience and so it gave up trying. A little while later the glass partition was removed but the barracuda would still only swim up to the point where the barrier had been, then it would turn around and swim back again. The barracuda had conditioned itself to believe it could not succeed and so it gave up trying.
It is the same with a lot people. The fact is you can condition your mind to accept that you won’t succeed – just like the barracuda – but, conversely, you can also condition your mind to overcome your own self-imposed limitations.
R. Ian Seymour
R. Ian Seymour, excerpt from Discover Your True Potential