KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Your environment shapes your growth – Like goldfish, we grow to fit our surroundings. A limiting space stunts potential, while the right environment unlocks it.
- Growth requires leaving your comfort zone – Staying in a “fishbowl” feels safe but holds you back. Stepping into a bigger world fuels transformation.
- Transformation is intentional – You won’t grow by accident. Choose an environment that challenges and supports your full potential.
A few years ago, it was national front page news. There was a looming crisis. People were getting rid of their pet goldfish in local ponds and lakes, and no one expected what happened next…
Literally, goldfish that are typically about an inch long and mere ounces, were transformed into aquatic beasts over a foot long that could weigh more than a small dog.
These goldfish actually lived way longer too. In a fishbowl it’d be lucky to make it 6 months to a year. In a pond they can live 10-25 years!
The image below is from the Washington Post – nuts right!?
And no this isn’t Photoshop.
So what caused this insane transformation?
It’s actually quite simple.
The limitations of a fishbowl were removed, and the goldfish were placed into an environment that enabled them to grow to their maximum capacity.
When provided with the space…the nutrients…the support…their true potential was unlocked.
Why am I telling you all this?
So that you don’t flush poor little Timmy down the toilet out of fear that he’ll bite you next time you go swimming? No.
It’s so that you take a close look at your own environment.
Really take a moment to ask yourself:
- Is my environment giving me everything I need to reach my maximum potential?
- Is it giving me every chance to succeed and hit my goals?
- Is it helping me move forward and grow? Or holding me back?
See, because this doesn’t just apply to fish.It applies to us too.
We need to be in an environment that supports our growth, evolution, and aspirations.
We need to be around the right people that are making things happen in their own lives, who will support us along our journey too.
We need to get out of the comfort and familiarity of our fishbowl, and take a step of faith into a new bigger world.
When you do THAT and make the change…you will go through your own incredible transformation.
You’ll become a larger than life version of yourself that you probably can’t even imagine right now, because you’re still looking through the glass.
