One day, coach Timati Gallwey, still unknown at that time, while a student at Harvard, attended a lecture by B. Skinner. “Professor Skinner showed an experiment with his famous “Skinner Box,” which was a cage wrapped in gauze with a dove inside. The box was equipped with a feeder through which food was supplied to the pigeon when Skinner pressed the desired button on the remote control. He also controlled the lights and bell in the cage. “What should I teach a pigeon?” - asked the professor. Someone said: “Let the pigeon jump counterclockwise on one leg!” As soon as the professor saw that the pigeon was clearly moving to the left, he pressed a button on the remote control, the light came on and the bell rang. The process continued: light, bell, food - more and more movement counterclockwise. But Skinner soon made a small but important change to his technique, which significantly speeded up the process. He pressed buttons that turned on the light and bell, but did not open the feeder. Now Skinner didn't have to wait for the pigeon to come to the feeder. He began to explain: “At the beginning of the process, light and sound were a “neutral” stimulus for the bird. They were neither positive nor negative in terms of reinforcers. Neither reward nor punishment. But once they became associated with food, light and sound themselves became positively charged and could now be used as positive reinforcement.” I was shocked by the significance of Skinner's demonstration. To what extent were my behavior and choices influenced by my environment? Who or what was holding the remote control? Whose agenda did I live by?” (excerpt from T. Gallwey’s book “Work as an Inner Game. Unlocking Personal Potential”). Reading this passage made me wonder if what we fight so hard for is what we really want? Or maybe these are not our goals, but just a closed box through which we walk, fulfilling someone else's whims? And is what we get really real food, and not its substitutes? Starting from school, we are accustomed to grades, if it’s an “A” then I’m doing well, if it’s a “C” then we need to study better. And how many unhappy “crammers” leave school, memorizing material for assessment... And then work: sales, standards, promotions and bonuses... But are we so happy when we achieve this, or do we want something else? Or is there true freedom, where there is a CONSCIOUS CHOICE, and actions aimed at your own RESULT? I believe that there IS! Although it is difficult to get out of the “box”, stop, look around, allow yourself to feel free to choose your goal, and not the tricks imposed by others. Maybe it's still worth doing?!