Catchin' Anything?
Fishing With Purpose
Introduction
In this issue of The Adventure of Reflection, I continue on a nautical theme, this time about fishing versus catching. Thank you for joining me as I explore how to live life with purpose through the metaphor of successful fishing.
A Minute of Motivation
The Fruit is on the Limb
We all want the best things life has to offer, which I believe are meaningful work and rewarding relationships. Do these things automatically come to us, or is there a price to be paid for them?
Anything worth having is worth working toward. Anything that does not require work is probably not worth having.
A meaningful existence not only requires work but also risk. It’s risky to invest of yourself into a career objective or into a relationship. Perhaps your efforts will fail. Perhaps your attempts to connect with another will meet with rejection.
When seeking the best things in life it’s important to remember that “the fruit is on the limb.” To obtain something wondrous and joyous in life you must leave the security of the “tree trunk” and climb out on less secure branches. Be wise in where you climb, be fairly certain the branch can support you, and climb slowly. But do venture out!
A life without risk is a life without wonder. A life filled with wisely selected risk is a life that will be filled with excitement, joy, and adventure.
Be willing to go out on a limb!
Note. Written in 1993 and preserved on dot-matrix printer paper. Living life can be passing the time “just fishing” or it can be heading into deeper water where the fish live and living with the purpose of “catching” something. I encourage you to “head out into the deep” where the fish and adventure await!
Enjoy Life More
Fishing or Catching?
A few weeks ago, my husband and I went deep sea fishing; our son, one of our daughters, and her husband were with us. Afterward, my son said to me, “we can’t really call that fishing; we should really call it catching.” He said that because whenever the boat stopped and we were directed by our fishing guide to drop our lines, we would almost immediately begin pulling fish up from the deep, sometimes two or three at a time (each of our lines had three baited hooks). If the “catching” slowed down, our guide would direct us to pull in our lines so we could move to another spot.
I have been thinking about the difference between “fishing” and “catching” – how were we able to “catch” fish so successfully? When the boat moved from one spot to the next, stopping to resume our fishing, were the movements and stopping points random? No, I’m fairly certain the captain had a powerful “fish-finder” he was using. His purpose was for us to catch fish, not just go fishing. The passengers were paying a hefty price to CATCH fish, and he intended to satisfy us! Though we called our adventure a “fishing trip” the goal was definitely about catching.
So, what about today? Are you passing the time, going through the motions of “fishing” – or are you living today with purpose? What is your goal for today’s adventure? When the day is done, will there be a sense of accomplishment (like fish in a bucket)? Or will you merely be exhausted without a sense of fulfilled purpose?
To enjoy life more, approach each day with a sense of purpose. What do you want the bucket of today to contain at day’s end? Will you fill it with moments of connection with people you love? Will you fill it with important tasks completed? Will you fill it with a sense of joy or wonder from being alive? Don’t end the day with an empty bucket. Go catching today, not just fishing.
Faith Corner
Jesus said, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.” (see Luke 5:4)
People who regularly go fishing are known for their “fish tales.” These fish tales highlight the number of fish, the size of the fish, and the difficulty of the fishing. But the best fish tale of all time is the one recorded by Luke over two thousand years ago.
Some of the original followers of Jesus were fishermen, and not as a hobby; fishing was their profession and area of expertise. They knew when to fish, where to fish, and how to fish. But the backdrop of the greatest fish tale was a night without any catching.
That is, until, the greatest fishing guide of all time directed their efforts and changed their pointless fishing into a story of great catching. Reluctantly, these expert fishermen put their boat into the deep water and dropped their nets when and where they were directed. The outcome was a haul of fish so great the nets began to tear.
Life is like a fishing trip every day. Successful days are those lived under the direction of the greatest fishing guide of all time, Jesus. What fish are we going to catch? Only He knows what lies out of sight in the depths of each day.
Dear Lord, it is so hard to trust my efforts to your guidance. I do so want to go my own way and do my own thing. But only You fully know when and where my efforts will be successful. Help me to trust You with my efforts. Thank You for being the fishing guide I need to live each day with purpose and adventure. Amen.
Poetry Pause
Fish-Finder
Fishing is hard work;
Catching is fun.
I can’t see where to fish.
I need a fish-finder.
Today is hard work;
Why am I doing this?
I can’t see my purpose for today.
I need a purpose-finder.
Today contains value;
Somewhere in the deep.
I can’t see the value.
I need a value-finder.
Before I head out into the deep,
I need to know my purpose.
I need to know my value.
I need a guide to show me.
By Cindy MacGregor, April 13, 2023
Note. Each day is like going fishing. I would rather go catching. Consulting a guide before heading out helps a day of “fishing” become a day of “catching.”
Old Mom to Young Mom
Teaching Intrinsic Purpose
Motivation theorists divide motivation into two types, intrinsic and extrinsic, roughly analogous to internal and external. Doing a job well because it brings enjoyment and satisfaction is motivated intrinsically. Doing a job for a paycheck or recognition is motivated extrinsically. In reality, most behavior is motivated by both.
For children, their primary “work” is school. What motivates children to go to school, do homework, study, and learn? Extrinsic motivation is doing these things for grades or praise. Intrinsic motivation is doing these things for the satisfaction of learning or achieving. Research has shown that students who are intrinsically motivated do better in school than those who are extrinsically motivated. They also have found that students who are paid for grades will become less intrinsically motivated.
As children get older, into grades 3 through 9, their intrinsic motivation for school typically decreases as extrinsic goals are emphasized. More importance is placed on grades, test scores, and future outcomes from academic accomplishments than the personal joy of learning and mastery. For many students this shift makes it harder to “get motivated” to do schoolwork or go to school. Learning, which has a naturally intrinsic reward, is replaced with external goals.
Wise parents help their children focus on the satisfaction of learning and fight the shifting focus on grades and future outcomes. It is intrinsically motivating to learn and master new things. Emphasizing intrinsic factors can provide energy for the efforts needed to get “good” grades. Ask your children questions about what they are learning that is interesting to them. Help them to dig beyond the material to see how it is connected into an endlessly fascinating world around them and ahead of them. Remember the curious little child who kept asking “why?” and be the parent who encourages that curiosity in the older child. Grades should be byproducts of learning, not the goal. The better purpose for school and schoolwork is learning because learning is intrinsically satisfying. Teach intrinsic purpose to your children.
Dear Dr. Mac
Dear Readers:
I am open to suggestions for topics for future newsletters. Where are you struggling? How might you like to “pick my brain” about something? Please send an email to: drcjmacgregor@outlook.com; I will respond via email or in this section of a future newsletter, or both. I hope to hear from you!
You can also leave a comment for others to read by clicking the box at the bottom of this newsletter. Thanks, Cara, for your encouraging comment to “Submerged!”
You can find all my previous posts at https://cindymacgregor.substack.com/archive