Saturday, January 24, 2009

The Aquarium Shark

Did you know that one of the most valued and sought after saltwater aquarium fish were baby sharks? This is because if you place a baby shark in a small (100 gallon) aquarium it will stay small, usually less than a foot long. The same shark in the ocean may be 12 feet long!

I love this fact because in life we have all created our own aquarium, most call it our box. Our box is also our Comfort Zone with which we view the world. Everything outside of our box is the things that we fear and avoid. If everything inside our box is our comfort zone, then everything outside of the box of our world would be our Uncomfortable Zone.

When I trained in Anthroposophical Medicine in Germany, they taught that if everything you have done has created this reality of illness/life-dysfunction, then if you want a new and better reality of health/functional-life, then you must change everything you are doing. These medical doctors in German would, as part of their treatment of a cancer patient, tell the patient, “If you normally answer the phone with your right hand, then answering it with your left changes you.” “If you are dominantly a thinker, and get very little exercise, then exercising will help restore balance and health.” “If you are an athletic person and do nothing creatively, then increasing your creativity through art and clay-modeling can change your health.”

As one of my teachers, T. Harv Eker says, “Often people wait for the feeling of fear to pass before they will do anything…therefore most people never do anything!” If we are going to get out of our Comfort Zone we must realize that once we are outside of it that it will feel Uncomfortable at first! The uncomfortable-ness of change/growth is not an indication to stop growing.

While not suitable for all audiences, the new movie “Yes Man” with Jim Carey is a great example of opening up your aquarium/box and letting your life be filled with all the potential for growth that the ocean of life has to offer.

I encourage you to push, tear, claw, and rip your box to shreds at every opportunity and don’t be surprised, those of you who think that you’ve discarded your aquarium, to find that you have often just expanded your box but not gotten rid of it. PUSH, PUSH, PUSH! Share

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Jernigan,

I really love your writing. Your blog posts always make me think. They contain such insights. The message in this post about if our comfort zone is in our box (what we are already doing) then to get out of it, we might feel uncomfortable for a while. What a realization I had when I read that!
So it is ok to change and feel a bit uncomfortable, that is growth.

Thank you again and please, keep writing.

Sunflower

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Jernigan,
Great insight--just what I needed to hear this time of year. Just this morning my husband was discussing with me how important it is to realize our power and take charge. Actually, he was giving me a pep talk!
Love,
Heidi
P.S. Any insights on why sometimes I'm on fire but my husband is struggling or the opposite? How can we both be "on" at the same time?

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr. Jernigan,

Just stopping by. I can understand the analogy, but it is built on a widespread falsehood. I realize this was not your intention, but thought I would point out the following in regards to this quote:

"Did you know that one of the most valued and sought after saltwater aquarium fish were baby sharks? This is because if you place a baby shark in a small (100 gallon) aquarium it will stay small, usually less than a foot long. The same shark in the ocean may be 12 feet long!"

Sadly, this is incorrect, but often repeated. If an animal does not grow it is because it is limited by nutritional and health reasons, not the size of the aquarium it is in.

When these rumors of the animals will only grow to the size of the aquarium are spread it is indirectly advocating is the dwarfing and starvation of the animal! Simply put, no shark should be placed in a 100g aquarium.

If we are to take any animal out of it's native home for our enjoyment, at least let the captive environment allow for proper health.

Again I realize this was not your intention, but it is a commonly retold myth that needs to be corrected.

Kind Regards,
Eric

Anonymous said...

Found you on the Douglas & Main blog for Wichita, KS.

Wanted your lyme interview? Where can I get it.

Sherry

Biologix Center said...

Sherry,

Glad you found us on the Douglas & Main blog for Wichita.

You may get our lyme interview at
http://www.doyouhavelymedisease.com

Thanks for asking.