As Linda’s car pulled up in the driveway, I saw her break out in a big beautiful laugh as she quickly locked all of her doors and sat in her currently dry condition, pondering how to keep it that way.
 
What happened next surprised me. Rather than threatening us within an inch of our lives, which is what would likely have happened at my house, she simply decided there was no avoiding it, grabbed her purse, and bolted for the house as quickly as she could. She got no more than 5 feet before she looked like a drowning kitten, but she was laughing hysterically all the way into the house and for the rest of the evening.
 
I couldn’t believe it! Not only did she not get angry with us, she actually embraced it, and us in the process.
 
The final step in the Fish! Philosophy that unleashes your potential and that of those around you is the concept of Play. Too often we take ourselves far too seriously. We forget that every task, no matter how simple or repetitive, can be fun if we make up our minds to make it be.
 
Can you add a little play into your work? Your home life? Into the way you cook, shop, or clean? In my Intuitive Eating Group Meetings, we even turned our quest to change our relationship with food into a game! Playing releases powerful endorphins that create feelings of connection and satisfaction, leaving everyone involved better off in the end.
 
So when life seems a little overwhelming, perhaps you can consider implementing the Fish! Philosophy of Play into your day!

​By implementing the Fish! Philosophy in your life, you tap into your unique power to transform your life into what you have always wanted it to be. Contact me to learn how private coaching can speed up your move toward your goals.

How you choose to spend the seconds within those days is up to you. You can be the person who just does what they have to do, or you can be the person who impacts; the person who creates significance…that adds value, lifts up, and that is there for someone else for one of their 365 days this year.
 
If you do that often enough in your relationships, in your friendships, in your marriage, with your kids, with your mom and dad, with your brothers and sisters, with your aunts and uncles, your neighbors, with the man or woman at the grocery store, with your community, you will become world famous to them.
 
Most of us can’t imagine the rewards we get by living a “world famous” life. For sure, you will make somebody else’s day, but you know what? There’s more than that. When you begin to recognize your true potential, your true power to make somebody else’s day, as you begin to tap into the resources of curiosity and imagination, you begin to realize and believe in your own significance.
 
You have significance. You have the power to add meaning to somebody else’s life. When you realize this, then your own life will never be the same again.  When you look in the mirror, you will see something different within you. You will see a power inside of you that can impact anybody you come in contact with.
 
It’s a choice we can make. And not only do we enrich the lives of other people, we enrich our own lives in the process. So to paraphrase Clint Eastwood, go ahead, make their day

​By implementing the Fish! Philosophy in your home or organization, you empower others to make a significant difference in the lives around them. This dramatically improves relationships with family, coworkers, clients and community. Discover how to transform your organization today. 

We’ve been talking about the Fish! Philosophy, discussing why Choose your attitude was Fish! Philosophy step #1 last week. This week, let’s talk about why step #2 is Be there. 
 
We’ve all felt it. You’re telling someone something you feel is meaningful and the next thing you know, they’re checking the latest vibration on their phone. Immediately, an invisible wall goes up and suddenly you feel you’re more alone than if you had actually been alone.
 
Perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to experience the opposite. Every once in awhile you meet a person who has truly learned the value of being there mentally, as well as physically, for others. They make eye contact. They ignore interruptions to your conversation. They ask questions and engage in the conversation. There is nothing quite like leaving a person who just made you feel like the most important person alive for the few minutes you were together, is there?
 
Too often, we are physically present, but mentally elsewhere. When we are sitting at work, our minds are at home. When we’re finally at home, our minds at work. We can’t seem to get our bodies and our minds at the same place at the same time.
 
When I work with organizations to help them adopt the Fish! Philosophy, they are often stunned at how the simple skill of learning how to be there positively affects job satisfaction, productivity, retention, and company culture. The truth is, being there changes lives. After all, the only words more powerful than I love you are the words I’m there for you. 
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​Does your company culture need a powerful energy lift? Let me show you how the Fish! Philosophy can turn around your organization.  

John turned their story into s 30 minute film, accompanied by a short book, and the Fish! philosophy was born.
 
The first step in the Fish! philosophy is Choose Your Attitude.  This step can seem as if we are putting on rose-colored glasses and simply ignoring the difficult things in life. No doubt, there is a lot of “stuff” in our lives that threaten to weigh us down. We deal with depression or anxiety, divorces and bankruptcy, difficult relationships and health problems. We are always going to have “stuff”, but this is the way to rise above the “stuff” and find joy and peace in your life in spite of it.
 
In 2008, the world faced a terrible financial crisis that affected untold millions. And yet, life went on. Along with banks collapsing, foreclosures, divorces and deaths, there were also babies being born, bar mitzvahs held, and companies thriving. And in all of that, the only power you and I could never lose was our power to choose our own attitude. 
 
It has been proven over and over again that it takes a positive attitude to achieve positive results. When we choose to manage our attitude to look at what is going right, we are able to see our full circumstances more clearly, and see the pathway to improvement and possibility. When we choose to look at things in a more positive way, it gives permission to the people around us to do the same, and pretty soon, we have a team of people who are primed to create positive change out of whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.
 
As Helen Keller pointed out, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” Determine today that from this day forward, you will carefully choose your attitude.
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​Next week, we’ll touch on the importance of simply being there.
If you’d like to implement the Fish! Philosophy in your organization, call me for a free quote. 

As a leadership trainer, I love helping organizations and people recognize the power they have over their own happiness, not to mention the influence they can have on their influence over others. One of my favorite ways to teach this lesson is by sharing the famous Fish! Philosophy.
 
The four simple principles of the Fish! Philosophy can change any person…any organization…from one of apathy and boredom, to one of excitement, energy and joy! And it can happen faster than you think.
 
The Fish! Philosophy was developed by the Seattle Pike Place Fish market. These fish mongers had a sweaty, dirty job, repetitive day after day. Like all the surrounding fish markets, the atmosphere had become draining. There was no energy and the employees could hardly wait to leave work each day. But one day, they realized that it didn’t have to be that way. They could choose to make their fish market world famous, and turn those same hard-working jobs, into meaningful opportunities to serve others, all while having a wonderful time themselves.
 
Over the next four weeks, we’ll discuss the four principles of the Fish! Philosophy:
1. Choose Your Attitude.
2. Be there.
3. Make their day.
4. Play.
 
You may wonder, what does the Fish! Philosophy have to do with me? Good question! Do you want to have more energy? Do you want to enjoy your work? Do you want to create better connections with those around you? Would you like to increase your influence with your family, friends and coworkers? Would you like your challenges to fly by with fun and excitement? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to learn about…and embrace…the philosophy that has enhanced 80% of Fortune 500 companies.
 
If you’re ready to take your life, or the life of your organization, it’s time to go Fish!
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​In four one-hour sessions, Becky can help transform your company culture, and help your team make their work – and their lives – more positive and productive.