Do You Have Enough Sharks In Your Tank?

By Tracy A. Phaup

The Japanese have long been known for their appreciation of Sushi as well as the massive fishing industry that has grown up to support it. What's also been known is that the Japanese have had an unfortunate tendency to over fish their waters in an apparent effort to fish as close to shore as possible so they could bring the freshest fish to market.

As the waters became more and more over fished and captains were forced to go further and further out to sea, Japanese consumers were increasingly unhappy with the quality of the fish that was brought back. As bringing the fish back to shore took longer and longer, they were also lying dead for longer and longer periods of time and the Japanese people could taste the difference.

The fishermen were concerned and were trying to figure out ways to bring the freshest catch back that was possible.

They went to great expense to install freezers on their boats. That way as the fish were caught and began to fill the hold the fisherman could immediately freeze them and preserve as much freshness as possible.

It didn't work; they could still taste the difference and people didn't want to buy their fish.

"Well, " the fisherman thought, "- what if we kept them alive for the entire trip back?"

So now they went to even greater expense to figure out ways to keep the fish in water during the entire trip back so that the fish would still be alive when they reached their port.

But that didn't work, either; they could still taste the difference.

The fishermen were baffled. How could that be possible if the fish were still alive when they reached land? The fish were packed gill to gill as they were being kept alive in the tank... Could that have something to do with it?

After great thought they decided to try something; if the fish tasted less fresh because they were no longer moving in the water, what could they do?

It wasn't a feasible solution for them to make the tanks big enough for the fish to swim freely, but what if they gave the fish a real incentive to struggle to move no matter how closely they were packed?

So they added sharks to their tanks.

Finally the Japanese consumers were unable to taste the difference.

Out of the Japanese fishing industry finding a compelling solution for a powerful problem we can take many lessons about the fabric of our own lives.

It seems that when we encounter problems and complications in our lives a natural reaction to them is an ongoing sense of getting them resolved so we can get back to "normal".

Like the fish, we're wishing there were a lot fewer sharks in our tanks.

And we're commonly encouraged to stop thinking of them as "sharks" and to start thinking of them as "challenges" and "opportunities".

I think that's a lukewarm, half hearted response at best!

I would suggest that the next time we get another shark thrown in our tank a better response is simply a passionate "YES!"

"Yes! I've got another opportunity to struggle into the next phase of who I can be!"

"Yes! I don't get to rest on past accomplishments or coast!"

"Yes! I can't wait to see what's on the other side of this shark!"

Maybe it's simply a form of human insanity to want fewer sharks in our tanks and that throwing ourselves wholeheartedly at the next shark coming at us could be the most liberating act of our lives!

Here's hoping you swim with the sharks!

Your partner in saying "YES!" passionately to life,
Tracy A. Phaup
www.Tracy-Phaup.com

The Top Five Lessons To Learn From “Do You Have Enough Sharks..

There is a real depth of lessons available to us in the story of "Do you have enough sharks in your tank", and here's what I consider to be the top five.

1. Having another shark thrown in our tanks is an invitation to "Say ‘YES!' Passionately to Life!".

Maybe it's simply a form of human insanity to want fewer sharks in our tanks. Throwing ourselves wholeheartedly at the next shark coming at us could well turn out to be the most liberating act of our lives!

2. Maybe the areas of our lives where we're stuck or moving sluggishly means that we don't have enough sharks in the tank.

Sometimes we struggle with the things we think we "should" do and get stuck or have difficulty building any real momentum. What do you need to do to add a shark to that particular tank? Give it some thought, and if you can't think of anything then maybe the real solution is simply setting it aside as a worthwhile goal. What are the benefits of accomplishing that goal? What would be the prices you would pay if you decided to let it go? Is there a more worthwhile goal you could create instead that would have a greater impact on the quality of your life? Would that goal come with a big enough shark for you? Try to struggle with those questions until you're clear you got a "hit".

3. Put sharks in other people's tanks.

Think about it.

At first glance that might sound a little aggressive, but the idea isn't about being aggressive, intimidating or threatening people with how sharp your teeth are. If having a shark in your tank is a beautiful thing, then work with people so that they can benefit from having sharks in their tanks, too. Whether you're a manager, coach, trainer, or consultant - or a husband, mom, son or sister - what are the people in your life struggling with and working towards? Are some of the goals they talk about mere hopes that they can't ever seem to actually pull off?

One great example of putting a shark in someone else's tank was the father who just couldn't seem to manage to quit smoking no matter how hard he tried. His young daughter came home from school crying one day after learning about the dangers for smokers. She was crying because she was afraid that because he smoked he wasn't going to live long enough to be at her wedding someday. It struck him like a two by four and he became a non-smoker that same day. Even though it was an ongoing struggle with stopping, his daughter had put a big enough shark in his tank to keep him struggling.

What sharks do you need to put in the tanks of the people you care about so that they can go on to accomplish their dreams? How can you work with them so that they can begin to appreciate their own sharks and being to put sharks in their own tanks?

4. Strive to remember that we always have a choice about how we think and feel about the different sharks in our tanks.

Let's face it; there are always going to be certain types of sharks that each of us is particularly prone to resisting and have difficulty appreciating, or times when it feels like there's just too many of them and not enough of us to go around - especially in today's world. And you know what? That's ok. Most of us seem to consistently compare how we're doing from day to day to our peak performance level, and the only way to be acknowledged or validated by such a comparison is going to be by waiting for the next occasion when we're operating at our peak performance level again.

It's a peak experience and can't really be compared to our daily lives. Giving a hundred percent of ourselves is not only going to look and feel differently from day to day, but sometimes even from moment to moment. It's so much more valuable to ask ourselves "Did I give a hundred percent?" than it is to ask ourselves "Why didn't I do better? ...or more? ...or something different?" And in those moments when you're choosing to say "NO!" to the sharks in your tank, can you still love, appreciate, and acknowledge yourself and the choices you're making anyway?

5. The sharks in our tanks are lives greatest gift.

Let me guess: you think that one is just too much of a stretch?

When I went to the movie theatre to watch one of the "Lord of the Ring" movies that came out I remember sitting in the theatre really enjoying the movie and appreciating how heroic so many of the characters were. I had a sense that they were all actually really lucky to be on such a grand adventure! I was sort of mulling over the nature of being a hero in the back of mind as I watched Frodo and Sam struggle up the side of the mountain, and then I realized that it actually totally sucked to be them!

They were exhausted, starved, overwhelmed, dirty, thirsty, and homesick - to name a few - and would have gladly traded places with just about anybody on the planet for a nickel.

But in facing the sharks in each of their tanks the characters of the good guys were forged into becoming that person that each of them had known in their hearts they could always be but never knew how to bring it to the world - or perhaps had even dared to hope that they ever would.

Whether it was having a bold new sense of daring or confidence in their lives or finally claiming their greatness that was always there - each of them went on to forge a life for themselves that could simply no longer be mediocre. Their days of mediocrity were behind them forever.

We all long for that particular brand of greatness in our own lives. How differently might it feel to live our lives if we could all acknowledge the hero's journey that each of us is on and that the biggest and baddest sharks in our tanks are really no match for us; and are actually life's greatest gift to us?

Here's hoping you swim with the sharks!

Your partner in saying "YES!" passionately to life,
Tracy A. Phaup
www.Tracy-Phaup.com

Top 10 Ways to Create an Integrity Day

By Tracy A. Phaup

An integrity day is an afternoon or day that you come together with a group of people that all want to accomplish things that will bring you all into in integrity with your selves and others. Often, these are things that you’ve all been putting off.

Ideally you want to set up the integrity day to last for at least four hours, but no longer than an ordinary day. You’ll have conference calls scheduled throughout the time set aside for the integrity day.

The day starts by coming together on the call, telling everyone what you’re going accomplish within the next hour and they cheer you on – you listen to what they’re going to accomplish and you cheer them on - and then the race is on to see how much you can get done before the next scheduled call.

Great way to be held lovingly accountable and to use the synergy of the group to get things accomplished that’s both fun and powerful.

Here’s how to Create Your Integrity Day:

1. Create a list of S.M.A.R.T goals that can be accomplished in the time frame set up for the integrity day.

So, if the group is working for four hours, what can you accomplish in those four hours?

(A S.M.A.R.T. goal is a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Tangible.)

2. Plan what your reward will be for accomplishing your S.M.A.R.T goals.

Keep the reward in proportion to the goals – that increases the likelihood of another successful integrity day the next time you create one.

3. Set up buddies ahead of time for the integrity day.

Everyone in the group should be working with a buddy throughout their integrity day. If you have an odd number of people you can simply set up a buddy threesome. The buddies should create a plan to check in with each other in whatever way works best for them – phone or email – in between the times the entire group is scheduled to call. So, if the conference calls are set up for every two hours then the buddies will be connecting at least every hour.

4. Use your buddy ahead of time to plan your integrity day.

It’s sometimes easy to misjudge the amount of time or effort that a project will take. Setting up the buddies before the integrity day and coming to the first call already fired up to go is an awesome way to start. Finding out in the middle of an integrity day that the goals were either too impossible for the time frame or even too easy saps the momentum of the entire group. Working with your buddy before the day even starts means that you’re not only working on creating a more intimate relationship, it means that your buddy has an opportunity to give feedback or advice about adjusting your goals for the Integrity Day. Make estimations about how time consuming each goal is, and work from there.

5. Pick goals that are about YOUR accomplishments.

Life is a team sport, but an Integrity Day isn’t a day to make promises for other people. It’s YOUR day. If other people have to do their part in order for you to accomplish the goal then you might want to rethink it. Maybe the goal can be doing your part and it’s just the icing on the cake if they do theirs.

6. Debrief.

At the end of the day debrief with your team and then more privately with your buddy right after.

7. And during the debriefing - celebrate the successes.

Whether the goals are entirely accomplished or not it’s about celebrating the successes. Sometimes tackling a goal means that the first stage turns out to be about finding out what the unknown obstacles were to getting it accomplished. THAT’s an accomplishment, too!! So, now you may have other goals to accomplish before that one will be complete, but that’s ok. An integrity day is about nothing but pom poms, woo hoo's and “go get ‘em tiger’s”!

8. Learn the lessons.

What are the lessons you’ve learned from your integrity day? If you could have anybody in the world – from anytime throughout history – coach you about how your integrity day went, how do you think they would coach you? What would they say? What would they acknowledge about your day? What would they say the lessons are for you?

9. Rinse.

Surrender to whatever the day was for you and let it pass behind you.

10. Now repeat.

Create another Integrity Day. Twice a week is the recommended dosage.

Your partner in saying “YES!” passionately to life,
Tracy A. Phaup
www.Tracy-Phaup.com

This article may be redistributed freely as long as it is reproduced in it’s entirety and fully and properly credited. If you wish to redistribute a shorter version, please contact the author.

Belly Dancing Babies!

This just in - check out this adorable, self confident, and powerful little girl - as she belly dances!

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