A couple of years ago my dear mother returned to college after about a 25 year hiatus. As the mother of 7 and a seasoned homemaker, stepping back into the student role was to say the least uncomfortable for her. Recently she called and shared a brief conversation that she had with an old professor. It went something like this:
"How are things going for you?" asked her professor.
"Oh, I'm actually struggling quite a bit. Just keeping my head above water," my mom replied.
"Don't!" he said suddenly.
"Don't?" my mom repeated confused.
Without hesitation, Professor Hawkins said, "Grow gills!"
I found this idea of growing gills inspiring. So often we are swimming through life and feeling as though we are barely staying afloat - or worse - nearly drowning. If that is the case for you, adapt. Have the faith and the fortitude to examine your life and make some needed changes. I am not suggesting that life is always easy. Sometimes it may be all we can do to just hold our breath and wait for the storm to pass. But, in many instances, I believe a little personal tweaking here and there can greatly reduce the level of anxiety and stress in our lives so that rather than barely staying afloat we actually get our metaphorical oxygen from the water and are literally sustained by our ability to constantly adapt.
Growing gills will mean something different for each us. Maybe you need to work less and spend more time with your family to improve withering relationships; eat a healthier diet and exercise regularly so you have more energy to fulfill your responsibilities; forgive someone who has offended you or make that phone call you have been meaning to for years; seek to be more positive and to suffocate old pessimistic views; align your life with principles of honesty and hard work and not expect others to pick up your slack.
Adapting is not painless and it may cause a few growing pains in the process. You will, however, quickly begin to see the fruits of your efforts as you attempt to grow gills. Good luck my fish friends.
Tara has been in the business of teaching, training, and coaching for over 5 years and is a Mission Ignition Certified Coach. She is now the owner of Joy Quest Coaching.
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