Catching Fish In A Jar

Catching Fish In A Jar

When I was between eleven and twelve years old I decided one bright sunny day that it would be fun to go fishing. I didn't have any fishing gear and I had never done much fishing other than to play on the stream banks while my father fished. I also didn't want to "hurt" the fish I just wanted to catch them and then let them go.

I looked around the house for what I could use and I found a washed out old mayonnaise jar. You know the old style jars with the big open "mouth". I walked to a nearby pond and put the jar down in the soft dust-like mud of the water's edge with the open "mouth" of the jar facing toward the center. I then stirred the waters a little and made them cloudy so that the fish would have trouble seeing me. Then I waited hovering over the jar. Gradually, cautiously a small fish would swim up to the clear jar to investigate the disturbance and when it swam into the jar I dropped my hand into the water and over the jar mouth. I caught a fish, then another.

I just let them all go and returned my jar to the cupboard. Then I decided to use wire "box trap" to go fishing and rigged a string to the door. This way I could drop the trap in the water and not have to "hover over" it like I did with the jar. I sat very relaxed on the bank of the pond and sure enough I caught a fair sized bluegill. I took it home in a water filled plastic waste basket to show my dad and afterward returned it to the pond.

When I told people about how I had caught the fish they just paused and laughed nervously. You see unlike these people, I didn't know that you couldn't catch fish in a jar. If I would have asked them they would have scoffed and said, "You can't catch fish in a jar or a box trap!" No one in my life had ever dreamed of telling me that so my belief system did not contain these words or the impact that they would have had on my "day of fishing". Only a free minded kid could come up with an idea of using a jar or a box trap to catch fish! No one had told me that this was impossible so I just used what I was familiar with and what I had available and I succeeded.

Maybe today finds you facing a situation that seems impossible. You have a desire but no visible way of bringing it into being. You may need to find that "kid" inside you who thinks "outside the box" and the normal ways of achieving things and let him or her catch that fish in a jar! See your situation from a different angle. Start looking at the resources that you already have and the things that you are already familiar with. A fresh perspective and a childlike sense of wonder may surprise you and there's no telling what you will come up with!

Jami Sell

Catching Fish In A Jar is an excerpt from author Jami Sell's new book Thought And Belief: How To Unlock Your Potential And Fulfill Your Destiny! © 2010 All Rights Reserved. It is available at amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and in fine bookstores everywhere. Click here to: Preview Book!

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzewfwkk/thoughtandbelief/id6.html

External Motivation

A company wanted to set up a pension plan for its employees. 100% participation of the employees were required to install the plan. The plan was in the best interest of all the employees and made sense to everyone. Except Samuel, everyone signed up. Samuel's supervisor and other co-workers had tried to persuade him without success. Samuel not signing was the only obstacle for the implementation of the plan.

The owner of the company called Samuel in his office and said "Samuel, here is the pen and these are the papers for you to sign to enroll in the pension plan. If you don't enroll, you are fired this minute." Samuel signed the papers right away.

The owner asked Samuel, why he hadn't signed earlier. Samuel replied "No one explained the plan quite clearly as you did."

External motivation comes from outside such as fame, fear, social approval and money. Fear of getting spanked by parents and fear of getting fired at work are some examples of external motivation.

Breaking Free: Letting Go of the Nuts that Hold Us Back

Monkey hunters in India employ various techniques to capture monkeys. One method involves using a box fastened to a tree or a hole created within the tree itself. This box or hole is designed with an opening at the top, specifically large enough for a monkey to slip its hand into. Inside the box, a selection of nuts is strategically placed. When a curious monkey reaches into the box and grasps the nuts, its hand automatically clenches into a fist due to the tight space.

At this point, a predicament arises for the monkey. Although the opening was sufficient for the hand to enter, it proves too small for the clenched fist to withdraw. The monkey faces a decision: it can either maintain its grip on the tempting nuts and face capture or relinquish its hold and gain freedom. Surprisingly, the monkey consistently chooses to cling onto the nuts, ultimately leading to its capture.

In a thought-provoking analogy, many of us humans exhibit similar behavior to these monkeys. We find ourselves entangled in circumstances where we stubbornly cling to certain "nuts" that hinder our progress in life. These nuts, you are more familiar with than anyone else, act as obstacles preventing you from moving forward. By identifying these obstacles and releasing your grip on them, you can break free and achieve lasting freedom.

Often, we justify our inability to overcome these obstacles by uttering phrases such as "I cannot do this because..." The words that follow "because" represent the nuts we are desperately clinging to, holding us back from reaching our true potential.

Secret to success

A young man asked Socrates

"What is the secret to success."

Socrates told the young man:

"Meet me near the river tomorrow morning."

They met. Socrates asked the young man:

"Walk with him toward the river."

When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socratespulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked,

'What did you want the most when you werethere?"

The boy replied,

"Air."

Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret.

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.

The Power Within: A Balloon Seller's Lesson on Success

I recall the tale of the Balloon vendor at the beach. Whenever sales were slow, the vendor would inflate a balloon with oxygen and set it free. As the balloon soared into the sky, children playing nearby would notice it, and sales would pick up. One day, following the usual routine, the vendor released a balloon.

Observing this, a child approached the vendor and asked, "If you release a Black balloon, will it still ascend?" The balloon vendor responded to the young boy, saying, "The color of the balloon doesn't matter; what truly counts is what's inside. It's the contents that lift it up."

Similarly, what lies within individuals is what propels them towards success. It holds true regardless of their field of work, business endeavors, or place of residence. The key lies in maintaining the right attitude.

Thw Right Attitude

An old man was walking along the road when he noticed a group of people working on the roadside to construct a building. Intrigued, the old man approached the first worker he encountered and asked, "What are you doing?"

The worker, looking tired, replied, "I am making a living."

Continuing his inspection of the construction site, the old man approached another worker and posed the same question, "What are you doing?"

The worker, slightly irritated, responded, "Can't you see? I am working with the stones."

As the old man circled the upcoming building, he came across a young worker who appeared happy and enthusiastic in his tasks. The old man asked him the same question, "What are you doing?"

With a joyful and radiant expression, the young worker replied, "We are building a magnificent Church. It will be completed within a few months. You should come and visit us then. The Church building will be beautiful, and you will find many people worshiping God here. There is still a lot of work to be done."

The young man invited the old man to revisit the site after a few months and worship God together.

From this old story, we can observe the different attitudes of people working on the same project. Those with the right attitude find happiness in their work, while those lacking the right attitude struggle to find fulfillment in their lives. Although they are all working on the same project, their attitudes vary.

Some view their work as a means to earn a living, to provide food for themselves and their families. Others focus solely on the tasks they are performing, like the second worker who mentioned working with stones.

The third worker's focus lies in the outcome—an extraordinary Church. He understands his purpose and envisions the end result. At times, we may find it challenging to progress in our own lives, feeling tired and weary of our daily work.

A Christmas Story-A True Story of a Holiday Miracle

A John Harricharan Adventure. It could be yours, too!

Long, long ago, in a small, tropical village in a country far, far away, a little boy lived with his parents in a two room house. He could not have been more than four or five years old and his entire experience of life was limited to the fishing and farming village, his neighbors and friends.

It wasn't that the little boy was unhappy. Given his situation, he was a rather cheerful, optimistic lad, but times were hard for his parents. The village was recovering from the recent floods that had wiped out his parents livelihood. And the Christmas holidays were just around the corner.

Now in this little village of long ago, people of various religions lived and worked together in harmony. Everyone enjoyed each other's religious holidays and everyone looked forward to the celebrations where Christians, Hindus, Muslims and others would gather. The parents would provide gifts for the children and little boys and little girls would squeal with delight as they played with their simple toys.

It wasn't an expensive gift by today's standards, but in that village of long ago, as Christmas approached, any gift would be considered expensive. Yes, you and I would probably smile when we realize that all the little boy wanted was a balloon -- just a simple little blue balloon.

You see, the little boy had seen pictures of brightly colored balloons and had even seen balloons that belonged to children of more affluent families. But he had never had his own balloon and so he longed for one. In the village, balloons were only sold in one shop and that shop was far from the little boy's home.

And the cost of a balloon? Just one penny! You would think that a penny was hardly anything, but in those days, literally every penny had to be used very carefully. When the little boy's parents had to choose between food and a balloon, the choice was naturally food.

The little boy was very sad. For weeks he had been thinking of the lovely, blue balloon he would get for Christmas. After another day or so, his mother, like all good mothers, determined to find her little boy a penny to get his blue balloon. Again, like most mothers, she sacrificed her own needs to get her son his wish.

Imagine how happy the little boy was! Clutching the penny tightly in his small hand, he set off for the store. He did not care that he would have to walk for more than a mile in the blazing hot, tropical sun to get his balloon. He moved as fast as his little legs would carry him -- sometimes half-running and then walking quickly. Now he would have his blue balloon.

But fate played a trick on the little boy. There was no blue balloon at the store -- only one balloon was left. And it was a drab green one, a color he didn't really like. He probably thought that a green balloon was better than no balloon at all, so he bought and paid for it. But things were to get much worse very quickly.

As he was returning home, he decided to inflate the balloon by blowing air into it. Suddenly, there was a loud sound and the balloon burst into pieces. At first, the boy couldn't believe it. He just stopped and stared at the rubbery shards in his hand. After all the trouble to get this one balloon and then, just like in life, in a split second it was gone.

He continued walking home and although he was a brave  little chap, tears streamed down his cheeks. After all, he was just four or five years old. His parents would not be able to spare another penny to buy a replacement balloon. And even if they were able to, there were no balloons left in the store. By now, his tiny feet were tired from all the walking so he sat down on a little rock at the side of the road.

That's when he saw the stranger. He wasn't quite sure why he hadn't seen the man sooner. He must have been too absorbed in his own problems to notice anything. Rarely were there strangers who came through the village. The man smiled a kindly smile and inquired of the little boy why he had tears in his eyes.

The little boy explained his plight. With a knowing wink, the man reached into a bag he was carrying on his shoulder and pulled out a small box. "I have a gift for you," he said as he handed the box to the little boy.

"Go ahead. Open it," he continued. Imagine the surprise of the little boy as he peered into the box and saw three, uninflated, beautiful blue balloons, each one with a picture of a star on it. He turned to say "thank you" to the stranger, but there was nobody there. The man was gone.

Perhaps it was an angel, thought the little boy. Or maybe the stranger just disappeared into thin air. But that would be magic, reasoned the little fellow. You see, there is magic in the heart and soul of every little boy and every little girl on Earth. They know it, but they forget the magic as they grow older.

Years have come and years have gone, but that was one of the happiest Christmas I ever spent. Every once in a while, or perhaps, even more often than once in a while, if I choose to sit quietly and revisit that scene of yesteryear, I could still see the kindness in the stranger's eyes and the beautiful stars on the blue balloons.

It was a great lesson that I learned that day. Sometimes when life takes something away from you, it is only because it wants to bring you something much better. Life took my little balloon because it wanted me to have three beautiful, bigger and better balloons.

We may not understand why things happen the way they do, but this I know: If we trust the process and we keep on keeping on, the dark valleys of life will eventually lead into beautiful fields of light and splendor. You are cared for and protected by a Force that transcends time and space -- a Force that has existed forever and that loves you unconditionally.

Last, but not least, I must tell you this before I go! If you want to help a little boy or a little girl get a toy this holiday season, I will give you a link where you can make a contribution to "Toys for Tots". Each year, my dear friend, Rick Beneteau, runs a campaign to raise funds to provide some needy children with a few precious gifts.

Rick has been doing this year after year, and in some ways, he reminds me of the stranger who walked through the little village and brought me the three beautiful, blue balloons. A contribution of any amount would be welcomed. It could be as small as a dollar or as large as you want to make it.