A Shark School for Goldfish: Seven Ways You Can Thrive in a Sea of Change
We’re living in a time of upheaval.
Just turn on the news and you’ll hear about rising unemployment rates, economic woes, proposed changes to governmental policies that will upend the status quo. And chances are, you’ve been directly affected by the waves of change that are crashing across the nation. Perhaps you’re working reduced hours, facing relocation, or have lost your job altogether. (Or maybe that fate has befallen your spouse.) At the very least, you’ve probably had to tighten your purse strings, and you’re probably worried about what might be ahead.
In the midst of this rising tide of uncertainty, author Jon Gordon steps in to deliver a timely message: You have more control than you think you do. And how you handle adversity is your choice—in fact, it’s the only choice that matters.
“Change happens to everyone, whether we welcome it or not,” says Gordon, author of the new book The Shark and the Goldfish: Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change. “When the wave of change hits — and it always has and always will — you can choose to cower down and let it crush you, or you can embrace the new circumstances, learn from them, and ride the wave to a more positive future.”
Gordon speaks from experience—he lost his job in 2001 during the dot.com bust, and was a paycheck away from losing everything. During this period of adversity, though, Gordon made some important decisions about what he wanted and what he needed to do in order to achieve those goals.
“My layoff actually led me to my life’s purpose and mission,” he says. “Now I’m a writer, speaker, and consultant. What I thought was the worst thing to ever happen to me was actually the best. I realized that you don’t always choose the course you want to follow—it chooses you. Success is all about how you perceive and respond to the changes you are facing!”
That’s the lesson Gordon shares in The Shark and the Goldfish. A delightfully illustrated fable that will speak to readers from the schoolroom to the boardroom, the book tells the story of a pampered goldfish named Gordy who accidentally gets swept into the ocean. (As the author’s lighthearted “confession” at the beginning of the book attests, he fully realizes that real-life goldfish can’t survive in the ocean’s saltwater!)
Jettison your anger. Still fuming over your bad fortune? You’ve been angry, sad, and upset long enough. It’s time to let it all go. Forgive the company. Forgive your employers. Release the bitterness. Know that you can’t create your future by focusing on the past. Gordon says after he was laid off, he made a conscious decision to forgive his company for letting him go and for giving him only two weeks worth of severance pay.
“I chose to thank them, not hate them,” he recalls. “Making the decision to let that bitterness go helped me to think more clearly and have more energy to take positive action.”
Say to yourself, I have a dream. Then start working to achieve it. Having studied many successful people, Gordon says he’s found that they all can pinpoint the moment where they decided what they truly wanted to achieve in life. It makes sense. If you know what you truly want out of life, then you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. A job loss is a great opportunity to start fresh and ask yourself what you truly, truly want.
“When I lost my job, I realized that though I was initially sad to lose it, I hadn’t been truly happy,” says Gordon. “So, I took a moment and asked myself what I truly wanted to do with my life. What was I born to do? I asked. Why am I here? After a few days of thinking, the idea to open a franchise restaurant, which would hopefully allow me time to write, popped in my head. And off I went toward achieving my dream.”
Have a little faith and take a lot of action. What do faith and fear have in common? They believe in a future that hasn’t happened yet. And the main thing that separates them is hope, or a lack thereof. Faith believes in a positive future, while fear believes in a negative future. Think about it. The rest of your life hasn’t happened yet. Why not choose to believe that good things are coming your way?
“Faith empowers you to take action, and it also gives you the strength you need to face the fears that might otherwise sabotage your joy and success,” says Gordon. “I’ll be the first to admit that starting a new life isn’t easy—for sharks or for goldfish. It’s natural to feel fear of the unknown, of failure, of not being good enough. Goldfish let this fear paralyze them, but sharks choose to swim ahead, believing that the best is yet to come. Faith and belief in a positive future lead to powerful actions today!”
Start each morning with the “three things” question. When you get up each morning, ask yourself this one question: What are the three things I need to do today that will help me find the job and create the success that I desire? Then, take action on those three things every day until you’ve achieved them. This is a great way to keep feeding your positive energy.
“You may not get there in two days, a week, or even a month,” he says. “But every day you’ll be one step closer to your goal. And, eventually, you will get there. Or maybe you’ll find yourself somewhere even better.”
Swim harder and farther every day. Only those who work hard are able to successfully ride the waves of change. Those who exert the most focused effort toward creating a new career or landing a great job are those who will find the opportunities. There’s no substitute for hard work. Not talent, not intelligence, and not privilege.
“Sure, a positive attitude is a must, but to really mean something, it’s got to be accompanied by focus and action,” Gordon points out. “Hard work has been, is, and always will be the key to success. Now more than ever, you must be willing to work harder than everyone else. We lost sight of this during the economic boom, but I believe this current economy is getting us back to the fundamentals that truly matter. The harder you work, the luckier you become.”
Take a “glass 89.8 percent full” approach to the recession. The statistics can be hard to get out of your head when you’re searching for a job. But unlike the pundits on TV, who are all too pleased to focus on the most negative numbers available, you can choose to focus on the flip side. Rather than fixating on 10.2 percent unemployment, focus on 89.8 percent employment.
“Dwelling on the higher number will likely be better for maintaining a positive state of mind during your job search,” says Gordon.
Choose to be humble and hungry. Be humble, advises Gordon. Know that you don’t have all the answers and can learn something from everyone. Know that there are always new ways to learn, improve, and get better. Be open to advice. Be open to learning a new skill and trying a job you haven’t thought of before.
Also, be hungry: Seek out a mentor, take him to lunch, and model his success. Think of his life as a blueprint you can follow. Continuously improve and seek out new ideas and new strategies.
“These are two very important H-words,” says Gordon. “By remaining humble and hungry after my job loss, I was able to focus on and learn the things that made it possible for me to run a restaurant, write, and speak. In short, being humble and hungry helped me achieve another great H-word: happiness!”
It’s true that the change we are experiencing is like nothing we’ve experienced. After all, the cheese hasn’t just been moved. It’s been swept away by an economic tidal wave. However, despite the unemployment rate and economic conditions, you can still be successful. Whether it’s starting your own business or finding a new job, now is a time when those with a positive attitude, ability to focus, and great work ethic will shine. Food is scarcer than it was, but there is still plenty of food for those who are willing to work hard, stay positive, and find it.
About the Author:
Jon Gordon is a consultant, keynote speaker, and the international bestselling author of The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, and Training Camp, all from Wiley. He and his books have been featured on CNN and on NBC’s Today show, as well as in Forbes, Fast Company, O, The Oprah Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Jon’s principles have been put to the test by NFL football teams and Fortune 500 companies alike. He has worked with such clients as the Atlanta Falcons, the PGA Tour, Northwestern Mutual, JPMorgan Chase, Campbell Soup, and Publix Supermarkets. A graduate of Cornell University, he holds a master’s degree in teaching and works with numerous businesses, professional sports teams, schools, universities, and nonprofit organizations. For more information, please visit: www.JonGordon.com.
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admin | Nov 23, 2009 | Comments 0
Filed Under: Book Reviews • Business Planning
