Elephant Syndrome

An elephant is the largest living land animal in the world and can weigh up to 27,000 lbs! Yet, a single stake and small chain tied around one foot holds circus elephants in place. Why?!? Well, when circus elephants are young, the stake and chain are strong enough to keep them from escaping. Thus, circus elephants are conditioned to believe they can’t escape even when they are massive adults.

Like elephants, often we are conditioned to believe certain ideas and then we allow them to hold us in place. Thus, elephant syndrome is exactly that—believing something based on a misconception rather than based on truth.

So what have we been conditioned to think or believe? Most often, these “conditioned” beliefs are based on societal values, cultural norms, family ideals or personal labels. And we allow them to govern our lives rather than true principles. This is crazy, but we all do it!!

Let me give you a personal example. From a very young age I’ve believed that I am not a good handyman. If something breaks, I immediately think “don’t ask me to fix it because that’s not something I’m good at.” And I’m not sure where this idea came from. Now, looking at truth, I’ve never really even tried to fix things probably mostly because of my conditioned belief that I’m no good at it. The reality is though that I’m sure with some effort and practice, I could be a great handyman.

This is a simple example that shows how we place limitations on our abilities—not based on any sort of truth but based on the fact that we suffer from elephant syndrome. And this is only one simple example causing me to wonder what else I believe that keeps me from reaching my potential?!

Conditioned beliefs die hard and learning to overcome them is not easy! However, we can overcome elephant syndrome. To do so though takes discipline, effort, and patience because it is a process that takes place day by day. Everytime we think “I can’t do that”, or “that’s impossible”, we must stop and think, ‘is what I am thinking based on fact or on a conditioned belief?’ Stopping and analyzing each situation will allow us to begin to understand more clearly and discern truth from elephant syndrome.

Once we become good at stopping and discerning truth, we can then take it a step further by challenging our conditioned beliefs by proving them wrong. Going back to my example, the next time my dryer breaks, instead of assuming I can’t fix it, I should change my thought process and think, ‘hmm, I wonder if I can fix it.’ Then, I should put forth my best effort to actually try to fix it, and simply the effort will begin to cure me of my elephant syndrome.

Now, by consciously doing this day in and day out, we will slowly shift how we think and how we see the world. And we will realize that the stake and chain that we believe is holding us in place is a lie. Thus, we will be free to believe that the sky is the limit for us once again.

So what do we believe to be true that isn’t based on truth? What stakes and chains limit us in life? We must break ourselves from our “elephant syndrome” and see things as they really are. As we do this, we will be amazed at what we can accomplish.