Few books have impacted my perspective on human psychologically and behavior. A little over a year ago I read a book by Dr. Martin Seligman called, "Learned Optimism". Seligman was intrigued by an experiment he had witnessed involving dogs who exhibited inexplicable behaviors. His curiosity led him to create the "Shuttle box" experiment. Without going into great detail, the two-phased experiment went along these lines.
Phase 1: 'Group A' dogs were individually placed into a harness with a bar in front of them. Each dog was then administered a mild electroshock periodically. After some time, the dogs realized that by tapping the bar, the shocks would stop. The experiment was repeated with a second group of dogs (Group B) but with one great exception, there was no bar provided to stop the shocks.
Phase 2: Group A dogs were now individually placed put into a shuttlebox having two compartments with a small barrier in the middle. Again, a shock was administered periodically and after some time each dog got up, stepped over the barrier and moved to the other side of the box where the shocks stopped. Group B dogs were then placed individually into the same shuttlebox. The electroshocks were again administered periodically. Unlike the dogs in Group A which chose moved to the other side of the box, the Group B dogs didn't; they just laid there and whimpered.
Seligman concluded that since Group B had learned to be 'helpless' in the first phase of the experiment, they didn't move in the second phase. In other words, the dogs were conditioned to feel helpless when they couldn't stop the shocks while in the harness. So now, with the harness removed, the dogs just simply gave up. They had lost their 'optimism'; the belief that change was possible! Therefore, they just laid there and whimpered. Now we as human beings don't whimper, we whine! Many of us complain about what's wrong with our lives, careers or relationships. And much like the dogs in Group B, instead of doing something about, we just mentally lie down and whine instead of getting UP and moving to the other side of life's box.
As we look forward to a new year, I want you to commit to 'getting up' and moving to the other side of the box. If there is something you've been wanting to do, do it! If there is something you've been wanting to try, try it! The only harness holding you back from success is the one wrapped around your mind.
Victor Gonzalez, top Hispanic motivational speaker and author of "The LOGIC of Success". For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com or by email victor@thelogicofsuccess.com
Nicholas Darvas, escaping his war-torn homeland, Hungary, sought refuge in... Read More
Choose a personal theme song and soundtrack that stirs you... Read More
I started taking stock of my year in 2002. I... Read More
"Write checks on a regular basis to those who you... Read More
I am unashamed to copy the peak performance techniques of... Read More
If you look back to the 70s and 80s, many... Read More
Dare to Dream~It is said that every person has at... Read More
(excerpted from the Day That Turns Your Life Around)After having... Read More
If you have read this far, we both know you... Read More
There is a disquieting trend emerging among women particularly -... Read More
A couple days ago I was listening to a CD... Read More
One of the hallmarks of all successful and high achieving... Read More
When you analyze the traits of successful people, you will... Read More
Success is a word that is much used in our... Read More
A young girl opens a birthday card from her grand... Read More
Succinctly said, success is harmony. When the result is congruent... Read More
Sometimes success is found through the things that you don't... Read More
Reading lots these days? Having trouble remembering and recalling? For... Read More
In terms of life success, there are four pretty obvious... Read More
The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply... Read More
Before we can unlock human potential, we need to know... Read More
"Enthusiasm is worth any pot of cream ever offered."Can you... Read More
You are never a failure until you accept defeat as... Read More
To achieve success it can be important to keep going... Read More
There are certain laws that when obeyed will bring great... Read More
Step 1 ? Learn a powerful key to increase financial... Read More
Have you ever wondered if there was a way to... Read More
However there is one success secret that costs nothing. And... Read More
Many of the problems we have with discipline are caused... Read More
I once heard a speaker use the statement, "I have... Read More
The HungryIn May of 2005 there were over 2 million... Read More
There is one big "secret" to success that can help... Read More
Why is it that most people still equate being successful... Read More
There is a difference but what constitutes a life... Read More
Who wants to carry on being a failure?Failure. Not a... Read More
Whenever we have a bad experience or we own up... Read More
"The more you hate, the more you love."What an ironic... Read More
You have complete control over your thoughts. Thought patterns develop... Read More
Study hard, get good grades and you will have a... Read More
Here are seven essential keys to success. Use these ideas... Read More
What is success? As author and speaker Earl Nightingale said,... Read More
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, was over fifty when... Read More
To have a high probability of becoming prosperous, you have... Read More
Challenges posed by recent economic and market shifts, though predicted... Read More
I am sure that you're familiar with the old formula... Read More
When I was in college, I heard someone say something... Read More
George Burns' career could have ended as early as 1958,... Read More
Dr. Deepak Chopra is a well-known author of more than... Read More
This morning, on TV, I was amazed to see how... Read More
Think out of the box, they say. But what's a... Read More
In this article we mention 7 tips for your success.... Read More
The best way to predict your future is to create... Read More
Greatness is all around us. From Oprah to Bill Gates... Read More
Everyone wants to be successful. However, many people often rely... Read More
Have you ever felt as if you are beating your... Read More
About six years ago I began to study tai chi.... Read More
One the most important Self Improvement skills to develop to... Read More
It is often said that the only things in life... Read More
FOCUSAs you're building your business, you can choose to win... Read More
"What a week!" you say at the end of a... Read More
The story that is being used to illustrate the concepts... Read More
Identity theft!We've all seen them. The commercials use the voices... Read More
When you look into the eyes of a winner, what... Read More
Are you:- feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied with your life?- ready... Read More
Did you know you can literally program your mind so... Read More
Multi-task goal-completion work with everyday, "have to" activities If you... Read More
Success |