There is One Thing Between You and Breakthrough Results

There is one thing, and one thing only, standing between you and the breakthrough results you want to achieve. You probably already know what that one thing is: fear. Only fear is between you and any breakthrough you can imagine. Once we build our capacity to handle fear, in all of its shapes and sizes, we’re able get more and more transformative results. It’s an idea that’s proven out in science. 

I first learned of the Pike Syndrome from a good friend of mine, Josh Linkner, who is an incredible innovation thought-leader.. The syndrome was first discovered by a group of scientists studying the pike fish, a famously aggressive, carnivorous fish. When placed in a tank with smaller fish, the pike will immediately devour them.

While you may or may not be famously aggressive in the circles you run in, think of the smaller fish as your goals. Those things that you want to go after, the things you want to achieve and the results you want to create. Without any kind of fear, it’s natural to not only pursue those things, but to achieve the results. 

For purposes of the experiment, the scientists put a layer of glass between the pike and the smaller fish that it typically feeds on. As much as the pike tried, smashing itself against the glass over and over to catch its meal, it was unsuccessful in breaking through. Soon enough, the pike gave up, stopped smashing into the glass barrier and sank down to the bottom of the tank. 

And we’ve all been there before, haven’t we? You go after that raise, that romantic interest, that big deal, that investment, time after time and when we’re not successful, we give up thinking that it must be impossible for us to achieve. 

It’s at this point in the experiment that the scientists went a step further, they removed the glass barrier once again giving the pike access to its food. To everyone's surprise, the pike still didn’t move. It now had free access to eat as many fish as it liked, but remained discouraged at the bottom of the tank even with prey fish swimming right by its mouth. The learned fear of the glass barrier, the barrier that was no longer even there, became so engrained, that the pike ended up dying of starvation. 

Now known as the Pike Syndrome, it demonstrates how fear of non-existent barriers can paralyze us into inaction. We’re so conditioned by our learned environment that we may unwittingly give up without exploring new (and usually) breakthrough ways to achieve the goal we’re aiming for. Fear, driven by the assumptions of the world around us (which usually isn’t life-threatening), essentially locks us into the status quo. 

Knowledge alone doesn’t change that status quo. Knowing that processes are outdated, norms are ineffective, that the status quo just isn’t working, is not enough. Just like the pike had some knowledge that fish were swimming by it’s head when the barrier was removed, knowledge alone did nothing to satisfy its appetite. Only by confronting the feeling of fear, and going through the discomfort to do it, are new results possible. The more and more comfortable we get embracing fear and discomfort, the more and more free it leaves us to naturally and effectively be able to pursue our goals and achieve the results we want. 

We’ll be talking about the Pike Syndrome in the #NoMatterWhat Community this week.

Is what’s holding you back from results really there?

Or just a fear rooted in the past?

How do you deal with the fear that comes up?

And how do you find the courage to deal with it? This week, let’s commit to confronting some of those fears and breaking down the imaginary barriers #NoMatterWhat.

On the other side are the results you’re looking for, I promise.