The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. As the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades, fishing boats got bigger & went farther than ever.
The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh.
To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish & freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther & stay longer.
However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh & frozen & they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.
So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish & stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired & dull, but alive.
Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan ?
If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?
As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company or whatever, you might lose your passion.
You don’t need to work so hard so you relax. You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money & wealthy heirs who never grow up.
Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950’s. “Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment.”- L. Ron Hubbard, The Benefits of a Challenge.
The more intelligent, persistent & competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, & if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges & get energised. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!
How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh:
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.
Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganise. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals.
So, put a shark in your tank & see how far you can really go!
Personally I have many sharks in my tank 🙂
Do you have any?