Are You the Shark or the Chum?

A couple of years ago I was cage diving with Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa. As I sat in a submerged cage watching as the bait of fish heads and a fake seal were floating in the water, anticipation and anxiety were building inside me. I simultaneously wanted to see a shark up close and personal, but at the same time, I was scared to death that I might. The water was a cold 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but my wet suit helped some in staying warm. I sat in the water for what felt like hours, but really it was probably only a few minutes. 

But nothing happened. 

Everyone I was with had just about decided maybe nothing was going to happen. It was strange how there was both an air of relief and disappointment in the air. But as the cage began to rise from the water, something happened. 

Suddenly, a Great White attacked, appearing through the chum clouded water. He came right at the cage. Under the water, I could see him as he violently crashed into the cage. The amount of brute force and violence with which he attacked was amazing. It was a pure, violent attack. Once he decided he wanted that bait, nothing was going to stop him. He used all his force of teeth and muscle and body and tail. It made for a magnificently scary exhilarating adventure. Just the kind of thing I had come to see.

It made me start thinking about goals. It may seem like a strange leap to make but stay with me. Once we have decided what we want in life, what if we attacked it the way that Great White attacked that bait? What if we used every bit of our energy, let nothing distract us, went full force, full-on attack, all in, until we accomplished it?

If you’re like me, sometimes you set a goal and then half-ass it. Sure, you do some things to accomplish it, and yeah, you’re committed to it, but there’s a difference between that and the full-on force attack that I described in the first paragraph. At least, there’s a difference for me. This is especially true when I have too many goals. I work on each one a little, but never on anyone enough to really “move the needle.” It’s amazing the things each of us is capable of if we put our whole force, might, and mind to it.

Our challenge then is to decide what is the ONE goal that is the most important to us. Once you’ve decided, attack it like a Great White. Use all your force. Be “violent” about it. Attack the problem, or goal, or task with everything you have. If we do this, we will each be more likely to be successful and accomplish whatever it is we set our minds to.

Living Every Minute,

Dr. Tim