Do you know what they do to keep a circus elephant from running away? They fix a metal chain to a belt around the mighty elephant’s leg which is attached to a small wooden peg hammered into the ground. The ten-foot tall, 5000-kilo hulk could easily snap the chain, uproot the wooden peg and escape to freedom. But the elephant does not do that. In fact it does not even try. The world’s most powerful animal, which can uproot a tree as easily as you and I can snap a toothpick, remains tied down by a small peg and a flimsy chain. How come?
It’s because when the elephant was a baby, its trainers used exactly the same method. A chain was tied around its leg and the other end of it was tethered to a metal stake on the ground. The chain and the stake were strong enough for the baby elephant. When it tried to break away, the metal chain would pull it back. Sometimes, tempted by the world it could see in the distance, the baby elephant would pull harder. But the chain would cut into the skin on its leg, making it bleed, causing a wound that would hurt it even more. Soon, the baby elephant realized it was futile trying to escape, and stopped trying!
So now, when the mighty circus elephant is tied by a chain around its leg, it still has vivid memories of the pain it felt as a baby. And it does not try to break away. The elephant stands still even though it’s just a chain and a small wooden peg. It recognizes its limitations and knows that it can only move as far as the chain will allow it to. It does not matter that the metal stake has been replaced by a wooden peg. It does not matter that the 100-kilo baby is now a 5000-kilo powerhouse. The elephant’s belief prevails.
What’s true for the elephant is also true for all of us. Organizations or individuals, we are all like the circus elephant. We all have incredible power inside us. We have it in us to take on the world. But we also have our own chains and pegs—our self-limiting beliefs that hold us back. Sometimes it’s a childhood experience or an early failure. Other times it’s something we were told when we were younger. That becomes our chain and peg, holding us back from doing what we are capable of, stopping us from achieving what was well within our power. It is high time then to ask ourselves the question: ‘What’s holding me back? What’s my chain and wooden peg?’
When we are young, many of us grow up on a diet of ‘Don’t do that!’ or ‘You can’t do it!’ or ‘You are no good!’ And we stop ourselves from aiming high enough. We say, ‘I can’t do it because . . .’ and fill in our favourite excuse. ‘I don’t speak English too well’ or ‘I didn’t study in a premier B-school’ or ‘I come from a poor family’. Over time, these beliefs about our limitations become stronger and stronger. These self-limiting beliefs become chains that stop us from trying. Circumstances change, metal poles get replaced by wooden pegs but we don’t recognize that. We give up without even trying.
Organizations too are often victims of the elephant-and-peg syndrome. Memories of a failed product launch or a diversification strategy gone wrong can scar an organization’s psyche, keeping it off that path forever. Even though with changed circumstances, that idea might actually be the right way forward with a high probability of success.
Until recently, the chain and peg-induced behaviour was visible on the cricket field as well. On the lush green outfields in Australia and England, it was a common sight to see the Englishmen and the Aussies dive to stop the ball. They’d throw themselves on the ground and flash a smile as they made a valiant save. But an Indian player diving around was an extremely rare sight. Indian cricketers grew up playing their game on grounds that were hard and bumpy, with outfields that had more stones than grass. As young cricketers, they may have been inspired by what they saw on television, but when they dived, they bruised their knees and scraped their arms. And they concluded that it wasn’t worthwhile to dive. That memory then stayed with them—even when they went on to play on fabulous grounds around the world.
In life we often play the role of the elephant trainer in our capacities as leaders, parents, teachers, colleagues or friends. When that happens, remember to handle your baby elephants with care! Don’t be overly critical. Don’t belittle them. Don’t chain them to a peg!
Remember, we all have the strength of an elephant. Don’t let a mere chain and peg hold you back. Introspect and recognize what’s holding you back. Break the shackles of your self-limiting beliefs. It’s sad when we allow our achievements in life to be determined not by our strengths but by our self-limiting beliefs.
Snap the chain. Smash the peg. Break your self-limiting belief. Set yourself free. Today! Do that one thing you’re scared to do because of the memories of a failed attempt. Go ahead. Unleash the elephant within!
We all have incredible power inside us. We have it in us to take on the world. But we also have our own chains and pegs—our self-limiting beliefs that hold us back. Sometimes it’s a childhood experience or an early failure. Other times it’s something we were told when we were younger. Smash the peg. Break your self-limiting belief.