Monkeys & Beliefs

A group of monkeys were placed in a room with a ladder leading up to a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling.?

Naturally, one monkey started to climb the ladder to reach the bananas.?

However, as soon as he did, all the monkeys were sprayed with cold water.?

This unpleasant experience led them to associate climbing the ladder with discomfort.

Soon, whenever a monkey attempted to climb the ladder, the others would pull him down to avoid being sprayed.?

One by one, the monkeys were replaced with new ones.?

Each new monkey, unaware of the cold water, would try to climb the ladder, only to be pulled down by the group.?

Eventually, all the original monkeys were replaced.?

None of the remaining monkeys had ever been sprayed with water, yet they continued to prevent any monkey from climbing the ladder.?

They did so simply because "that's the way things have always been done."

This story illustrates how beliefs and behaviors can become deeply ingrained, often without us questioning their origin or validity.?

Over time, we may adopt practices and hold onto beliefs that no longer serve us—or perhaps never did—simply because they are familiar or because "everyone else is doing it."

Some questions to consider:

• What existing beliefs am I holding onto without question?
• Are there "ladders" I'm avoiding because of an unfounded fear or outdated tradition?
• How might these entrenched beliefs be limiting my growth or the growth of those around me?

This week I had a chance to attend ??Chad Willardson, CFF?, CRPC? 's ELEVATED event where Olympian Ryan Millar shared this thought-provoking story. Learn more about Platinum Elevated:?https://platinumelevated.com