Step out of the jar to live the reef dream
A fish doesn’t know it’s in a tiny little jar until it’s out of it. I remember watching a cartoon with my children about a dolphin. This dolphin dreamed of getting out of the jar, yet everyone around him kept discouraging him, sympathetically explaining all the dangers involved. The leader of the shoal had put in place an atrocious rule to the effect that anyone who ventured outside the reef would be excluded from the shoal for life, and would no longer have any family or ties with the others. This is one of the biggest sacrifices a dolphin can make if it can’t live on its own. After several struggles, this dolphin decided to leave the reef anyway, and guess what: he discovered a new world, new friends, a new family (admittedly not dolphins) and had some extraordinary adventures. After being rejected, then criticized, then despised, the other dolphins in his family wondered at his happiness and joy, and ended up following him. This is what often happens as a project owner, entrepreneur, leader, manager, etc., whatever the field! Too often we try to confine ourselves to a reef, which is often too small, whereas the ocean offers itself to you and will enable you to discover many wonderful things.
Today if you’re in your jar and have the feeling and desire to live the ocean dream, I’d like to alert you to 4 lies that are consciously or unconsciously preventing you from taking the plunge:
Lie 1: The Danger is too great! Boouuhhhhhh !!!! The only fish that move with the current are dead fish, the only way to be sure you’ll never make it is to do nothing, the worst thing that can happen to you is to stagnate where you are! Life is in constant motion, and if you stay where you are, you’ll sink progressively and end up dead sooner than you thought. The danger is in staying where you are without doing anything!
Lie 2: You’re going to be alone! Boouuhhhhhh !!!! That’s the typical lie, I’ve heard it too many times but the reality is that you’ll only lose people who aren’t really your friends and who represent burdens for you. Let’s be direct! I remember a time ago when I found myself completely alone following a decision and a change in my life. It didn’t take long for me to be surrounded again by quality people who have given me a lot and with whom I’ve been able to build. You may lose or distance yourself from certain people for a certain length of time, but you discover new people with whom you can move forward.
Lie 3: You’ll lose everything you’ve got! Boouuhhhhhh !!!! The only way to seize opportunities is to let go of what you have in your hands. Otherwise, the best you can do is watch it pass you by and go away. Who is the fastest growing and adapting human being? Children! If we look at them, we can see that a child wouldn’t want to keep a T-shirt with holes in it that was given to him when he was too small! And yet, as we get older, we start to get attached to things that hold us back and prevent us from grasping new things, which may be different, but are far more beautiful and really suit us in the season we’re in.
Lie 4: There’s nothing good for you in the ocean! Boouuhhhhhh !!!! Boouuhhhhhh !!!! Boouuhhhhhh !!!! I’ve also experienced this for too long, both personally and through the people I accompany. There’s nothing sadder than people cloistered in a system, a domain, a place in which they’re unhappy but stay because they think there’s nothing good to change and that the consequences would be too heavy. Honestly, there’s always more! Always more to discover, always more to grasp, always more to experience, and you won’t know what’s waiting for you if you don’t go and meet the ocean and live the best adventure there is! Well, this lie isn’t completely untrue, there’s no such thing as good for you, there’s the best for you!
I apologize for the word Boouuhhhhhh !!!! which comes up a lot in this Newsletter, but it brings back so many memories and lies that someone has succeeded or tried to make me believe that today I’m sharing this with you with particular attention. The road out of the lies we’ve been led to believe is a long and difficult one. So stay focused on your dream, take action and make it a reality, no matter what others may say or think!
Do you need help to live it? To free yourself from a lie that has bound you? We’d be delighted to help you go further and live your life to the full. Contact us directly by e-mail or telephone for a free, no-obligation preliminary consultation.
