The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther in the sea than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took them to bring the fish. If the return trip took more than few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezer on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between the fresh and the frozen and did not like the frozen fish.

To tackle this, companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the fish tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, it lost their fresh fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

Now, to keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eat few fishes, but most of the fishes arrive in a very lively state. The fishes are challenged.

Can you relate to this situation? Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond, but most of the time are tired and dull AND in our situation we have lost our freshness.

In our lives, the sharks represent the new challenges to keep us active. If you are regularly conquering challenges, you are happy – your challenges keep you energised and fresh.

Just like the fish – the more challenges you face head on, the stronger you become, the more energy and ultimately the more value you will bring to the table.

Remember – you have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.