In a research experiment, a marine biologist placed a shark into a large holding tank and then released several small bait fish into the tank. The shark quickly swam around the tank, attacked and ate the smaller fish.

The marine biologist then inserted a strong piece of clear plexiglass into the tank, with the shark on one side and a new set of bait fish on the other. The shark attacked, slamming into the plexiglass divider over and over. The fish swam around unharmed in their section. After about an hour, the shark gave up, according to this story from Bits & Pieces.

Over the next few weeks, the shark made fewer attempts to attack the fish, until it stopped attacking altogether. When the marine biologist removed the divider, the shark didn’t attack. It believed a barrier existed between it and the bait fish, so the fish swam wherever they wished, free from harm.

I love shark stories; is it any wonder why? But how many imaginary barriers do you see separating you from what you really want?

Many of us create barriers for a variety of reasons. Maybe we were trained a certain way and need to reprogram ourselves. We don’t think we have options. We don’t want to take chances or rock the boat. Or it could be that we simply don’t want to do something, so we create doubt.

If we try something and fail, is that a reason not to try it again later? Things change. We change. That’s not an excuse to give up on something.

I wrote a column years ago about the late Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who learned he had pancreatic cancer. He gave a final upbeat speech, eventually viewed by millions, titled “The Last Lecture.”

In it he said: “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how bad we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it bad enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

But brick walls get knocked down every day. When you know that what you want is on the other side, and you want it more than you want anything else, you go looking for a sledgehammer.

I think of the challenging times when I was starting my company, or when the envelope business seemed to be on the brink of extinction, or when a civic project I was heading up hit a roadblock. It would have been easier to give up. But then I would have to live with my decision to quit rather than persevere. Could I overcome that disappointment?

In the wise words of Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was the first person confirmed to reach the summit of Mount Everest: “It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves.”

So who says that you can’t accomplish your goals? Who says that you’re not tougher, better, smarter, harder-working and more able than your competition? It doesn’t matter if they say you can’t do it. The only thing that matters is if you say you can't do it. As we all know, if we believe in ourselves, there’s hardly anything that we can’t accomplish.

The shark from my opening story would have been wiser had it heeded the words of Oprah Winfrey, whose career had plenty of bumps as she started in television: “Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.”

Surviving a setback is more tolerable if you step back and review your goal. Get some perspective on the direction you need to take when you recover from this stumble.

When I have doubts, I always remember the famous words of Thomas Edison, perhaps the greatest American inventor, who said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

I wrote a chapter in my recent book -- “You Haven’t Hit Your Peak Yet!” -- on “The Seven Cs of Success.” They included: clarity, competence, constraints, concentration, creativity, courage and continuous learning.

A reader sent me a very fitting quote from Zig Ziglar: “The three Cs of life: choices, chances, changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.”

Who would have known there were so many Cs to help sail through life? And I have listed several more:

Curiosity -- Curiosity is one of nature’s greatest gifts. The old saying “You learn something new every day” should be taken very seriously. Be curious about everything around you. The future belongs to the curious; the ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it and turn it inside out. Let curiosity turn “I don’t know” into “I want to find out.”

Commitment -- When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results. Commitment is a prerequisite to success. Commitment is the state of being bound -- emotionally, intellectually or both -- to a course of action. Commitment starts with a choice and is sustained by dedication and perseverance.

Competition -- The breakfast of champions is competition. Competition has made me a better businessman, a better golfer and a better person. And when there isn’t another company or business to compete with, I try to outdo myself. If that sounds simple, well, it is. I always want to be at my best and show my best side.

Communication -- The most basic yet crucial life skill is communication. From time to time, reevaluate your performance in these fundamental areas: speaking, listening, writing, leading meetings and resolving conflict. Communication needs to be clear and understandable. Communication requires both effective sending and receiving. No one can succeed in business, or in life, for that matter, without developing good communication skills.

Consistency -- Don’t be resistant to being consistent. If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it. Consistency is especially important in business. Consistency establishes reputations. In any business, customers expect the same standards. They want predictability.

Compassion -- Compassionate people really care. Compassionate people are also more positive. That’s why you should practice compassion every day of your life. Helping someone up won’t pull you down.

Caring -- It's contagious! Help spread it around. People don’t care how much you know about them once they realize how much you care about them. This concept is so important I made it the theme of my first book, “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” It’s also central to my Mackay 66 Customer Profile. Learn as much about your customers and suppliers as you possibly can because you can’t talk about business all your life. Build those relationships and take it from a business level to a personal level.

Customers -- Nothing is more important than customer service. No customer service, and pretty soon, no customers. The key is to latch onto your customers and hold them fast. Don't just meet their needs. Anticipate them. Don't wait for them to tell you there's a problem. Go out and ask them if there's a problem. They are your most important focus group. Disappoint customers and they’ll disappear.

Charisma -- Some people walk into a room and all heads turn. When they begin to speak, people are mesmerized. They instantly gain respect and trust. In a word, they have charisma, one of the most desirable and enviable qualities in the world.

Charm -- My mother used to tell me that you could catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. When I finally understood what she was talking about, I realized that our personalities often determine the outcome of situations. Charm is what you bring out in other people because you are genuinely interested. It’s a life lesson, not just a business strategy.

Challenge -- Unless you live on Easy Street, you will face plenty of challenges. Welcome challenges; they make you better. Business challenges are a fact of life. How you handle them determines whether you will stay in business. And they don’t always have to come from external sources. Challenge yourself to improve every day.

Cooperation -- Getting along is the key to getting ahead. Competition and cooperation are not opposites. We often must work together to have the best outcomes and stay competitive.

Mackay’s Moral: “C-ing” is believing and succeeding.

A newspaper reporter secured an exclusive interview with the devil and was especially interested in the deceptive techniques the devil used to build his reputation.

He asked, “What is the most useful tool you use on people? Is it dishonesty? Lust? Jealousy?”

“No, no, no,” chuckled the devil. “The most useful weapon I possess is apathy.”

How true! An “I don’t care” attitude will strip life from the loftiest dreams. Apathetic phrases like “Never mind,” “That’s not my problem,” “I’m not concerned about that” or “I don’t want to hear that” don’t solve anything.

Helen Keller, who overcame being blind and deaf, wrote: “Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings.”

Apathy has been around forever, but the COVID pandemic and resulting isolation have left many more people feeling bored, empty and lacking motivation. No energy. No enthusiasm. And then, no results.

Apathy isn’t sadness or anger. It’s more like not feeling much of anything.

The good news is that apathy is temporary. It’s only a glimpse of how you feel now. In other words, you can change. But first it’s helpful to figure out what caused your apathy. Then you can make some adjustments to help you break out of your doldrums.

Are you bored with your job? Have you stared at the same wall too long? Does it seem like too much work to look for ways to improve your situation? Are you willing to settle?

If “I don’t know and I don’t care” are the common answers to questions, it’s time to change things up.

Maybe you need to adjust your daily routine. Get up early and exercise. Go outside and walk and get some fresh air. Take a bike ride or go on a day trip in your car. Become more active. Do something that will help you perk up. Maybe it’s reading a book, listening to music or taking up a new hobby. Plan your dream vacation for the day when life gets back to “normal.”

What did you previously do that brought you joy? Make a list. And then commit to doing some of the things daily that brought you happiness.

Do something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time. Start a challenging project that you’ve been thinking about tackling to get your mind going.

The antidote to apathy is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is about passion, gusto, excitement and infectious energy. Major League Baseball star Pete Rose once was asked which goes first on a baseball player -- his eyes, legs or arm. He said: “None of these things. It’s when his enthusiasm goes that he’s through as a player.”

What can you do to boost your enthusiasm? It all depends on how much you want to succeed. Take control of your own destiny. Success comes from knowing what you want, not wanting what you know.

A landscape gardener ran a business that had been in the family for three generations. The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have employees work on their gardens or make deliveries.

For as long as anyone could remember, the current owner and previous generations of owners were extremely positive, happy people. Most folks assumed it was because they ran a successful business.

In fact, it was the other way around.

A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge reading "Business Is Great!" The business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other. What never changed, however, was the owner's attitude and the badge reading "Business Is Great!"

Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, “What's so great about business?” Sometimes, people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they personally were miserable or stressed.

The badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work.

No matter how miserable a person was, they'd usually end up feeling a lot happier after just a couple of minutes listening to all this infectious enthusiasm and positivity.

When asked about the badge in a quiet moment, the business owner would confide:

“The badge came first. The great business followed.”

Mackay’s Moral: Apathy is the glove in which evil slips its hand.