Gordy felt defeated. Maybe they were right. Sure, he could choose to be a shark, embrace change, and take positive actions, but maybe he just wasn’t cut out for the business of finding food. Maybe it was beyond him. Maybe dreams and destinies were meant for others, but not for fish like him. Maybe his destiny was to be in a fishbowl or wilt away in the ocean. He cried himself to sleep that night with an empty stomach and a mind full of doubt.

The next morning Gordy woke up early and went searching for food. He still had a glimmer of hope that he would find some and that Sammy would have some answers. Thankfully, there was more food in the ocean than there had been yesterday. It seemed getting up early made a difference. He found enough for him to survive, yet it still fell way short of what he needed to thrive. And so Gordy gave up the search for food and swam in search of Sammy and some answers. He found him at the same place where they had met the day before.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Sammy said.

“Why’s that?” Gordy asked.

“Oh, just wanted to see how your search for food went yesterday.”

“Not good at all,” said Gordy, who then told Sammy what the other fish said to him and how it made him feel defeated. He shared with Sammy that perhaps he wasn’t cut out for finding food. Sammy just sat there smiling.

“I had a feeling we would be having this conversation. It’s part of the growth process. This is the part where knowing how to think and act must become what you really think and do. As I told you earlier, living in the ocean will test who you are and what you believe. Finding food is about more than embracing change and responding to negative events with a positive perspective. It is also about staying positive in the face of those I call the ‘chorus of negativity.’ They are the naysayers you interact with every day, the doubters who say you can’t do it, writers of the Ocean Gazette, and the broadcasters of the Constantly Negative News channels.

“Unfortunately, little buddy, there are many in the ocean who want to focus on what they believe is impossible, not what is possible. They want to focus on the negative, not the positive. They are impossibility thinkers who believe that the ocean is a place where everything is scarce. They love to focus on stories that highlight how the ocean suffers from a lack of food, a lack opportunity, and a lack of hope. And then there are those like the ones you met yesterday, who tell you that you are not good enough, strong enough, or big enough to find food. They believe that success was meant for others, not for fish like you or them. They are imprisoned by their own limited thinking.”

“So what do I do when their negativity makes me feel defeated?” Gordy asked. “There’s so much negativity coming at me from all directions it seems impossible to overcome it.”

“I know, little buddy. The ocean is a school and overcoming negativity is the ultimate test. And the answer to this test is the Power of Belief.” Sammy wrote the following on the coral reef:

“All success starts with belief. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself and you don’t believe there’s enough food in the ocean, you will never find it. You must believe in your ability to find food and you must also believe that there is plenty of food to be found. Then I am convinced you’ll find all the food you want. You pass the test right here in your mind first. This leads to success in the ocean. Positive beliefs lead to powerful actions. When you choose to tap into the power of belief you’ll realize a key lesson I have found over the years.” And Sammy wrote another message on the coral:

“That’s why it’s so important to stay positive,” Sammy said. “You must stay positive in the absence of negativity and in the face of it.”

“But what do I do when the chorus of negativity and doubt is directly in my face and so loud that I can’t think?” Gordy asked.

“Well, then you have a simple choice. You can choose to listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can tune them out, strengthen your belief, and know that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible. You can listen to all the negative voices or focus on your positive choices.”

Gordy, who had never realized he had choices before, asked, “What choices?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Sammy replied. “Now you are on your way to becoming a master of finding food. The first choice you have is a choice between faith and fear.” He wrote on the coral:

“The letter F,” answered Gordy.

“Nice try,” said Sammy. “What fear and faith have in common is a future that hasn’t happened yet. Fear believes in a negative future. Faith believes in a positive future. Interestingly enough, both believe in something that hasn’t happened yet. So I ask you, if neither the positive or negative future has happened yet, why not choose to believe in a positive future? Why not believe that great things are coming your way? What not have faith in the future and in your ability to create it? And yet, so many fish choose the negative future,” continued Sammy. “They choose fear instead of faith. They choose to believe that their best days are behind them, not in front of them. They choose to believe in the chorus of negativity. As a result, this fear either paralyzes them from taking action to find food or causes them to swim frantically around the ocean wasting time and scattering their energy.”

“But it’s scary,” countered Gordy. “There’s fear of the unknown. Fear of change. Fear of failing. Fear of not being strong enough or fast enough or good enough. Fear of starving. Even fear of fear. There’s a lot to be fearful of out there!”

“Of course it’s scary,” Sammy replied. “No one said living in the ocean was easy. That’s why now more than ever, choosing faith is so important. Faith helps you overcome the fear that sabotages your joy and success. It helps you get through tough times when you just want to give up. Faith gives you energy and hope and inspiration. It allows you to be less stressed about life’s challenges and better equipped for success. Your faith and belief in a positive future leads to powerful actions today. Because you believe in yourself and the future, you take the actions necessary to create it.”

Gordy was so inspired that he grabbed a shark’s tooth he found on the ocean floor, put it in his mouth, and wrote on the coral reef something he wanted to remember. He wrote:

“You can also choose how you see the ocean,” Sammy said. “You can see it as a place of abundance or of scarcity. Whatever you believe, you will find. While others are paralyzed by fear and negative beliefs you go about your business of finding food. While others choose to focus on the stories that demonstrate a lack of food, opportunity, and hope, you stay positive, believe there is food to be found, continue searching for it, and then create your own positive story.”

Then he wrote on the coral:

“You need to realize it’s a big ocean out there. It’s a vast place filled with energy, food, vitality, and life. Sure, you may have to move to a different part of the ocean. You may need to innovate and find a better way of finding food. But the key here is that the ocean is huge and full of resources and opportunity. Why choose to limit the possibilities when history has shown that anything is possible? Why shouldn’t you be the one to find a new food location? Why shouldn’t you be the one who discovers a new way of finding food? Why shouldn’t you be the one who discovers a way to make more food available to more fish? You need to think big and expect there is enough for everyone, especially you. Expect success and you will find more of it.”

Gordy understood everything Sammy was teaching him. But the fish who jeered at him yesterday had left him with a nagging negative feeling. If he could shake it he would, but the negativity lingered.

“What about those days when you don’t find food,” he asked, “and your mind fills up with negative thoughts, self-doubt, and the beliefs of others? How do I overcome the feeling of defeat I was hit with by the naysayers? What do I do when I just don’t want to get up in the morning and face another day of failure?”

“Well, my little friend,” Sammy said as he put his fin around Gordy, “You accept the fact that everyone gets down. Then you decide to pick yourself up and turn it around. To do that you do what you did this morning. You find the ray of hope and eternal optimism that exists inside you. It was planted in your heart to let you know you are more than your failures and greater than your defeats. When you don’t feel like getting out there in the ocean, you tap into this ray of hope. It tells you that today will be better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today. You keep swimming forward with faith and optimism. Instead of starting your morning by turning on the negative news, consider taking a swim of prayer. Instead of listening to the chorus of negativity, take a swim, close your eyes, smell the seaweed, and discover the real peace and strength you seek. This is the antidote to fear and it is what you need in order to succeed right now.”

Then Sammy lifted Gordy with his fin and propped him on his back and raced around the ocean at blistering speeds. Gordy laughed and cheered as he held on for an exhilarating ride. He was now more prepared and ready to find food.

Sammy had to take his kids to school and so Gordy was once again on his own in search of food. Along the way he wrote a few more notes to himself so he would have positive reminders the next time he faced the chorus of negativity.

Gordy, loaded with positive energy and a new attitude, continued his search for food. As he swam around the ocean, he reminded himself that he was not a goldfish anymore. He was not a victim but an overcomer. He was faithful and fearless. He looked out into the ocean and realized how big it really was. Surely there is enough food for a little belly like mine, he told himself. This new approach and perspective energized him as he swam from place to place in search of food. Most importantly it helped him stay positive when he once again swam by the jeering fish who shouted insults at him. “Where are you going?” they yelled. “Back to your fishbowl! We thought we had seen the last of you.” To make matters worse, they held up signs about the negative conditions in the ocean. The signs said:

Gordy looked for a few seconds at the signs, but then chose to look away. He remembered what Sammy had said about tuning out the negative voices and focusing on the positive aspects. Even if the food supply is down 10 percent, it’s still very high; and even though the chance of starving rose to 10 percent, there is still a 90 percent chance of not starving, he said to himself. In that moment he made a conscious decision to create his own positive story instead of listening to the negative comments of others. Instead of a feeling of defeat this time, he was empowered with a belief that there was food to be found and he would be the one who found it.

By the mid-afternoon his new attitude and perspective helped him find twice as much food as he had found yesterday. He decided he had enough to survive and made his way to a quiet place where he would relax and take the rest of the afternoon off. As he relaxed and reflected on his day, it occurred to him that while he was proud of his accomplishment—finding enough food to survive—and was thrilled that he was no longer starving, he still wasn’t completely satisfied. He was still a little hungry and knew he could find even more food if he had the energy. He didn’t just want to survive. If the ocean was a place of abundance, then he wanted to thrive. And as he dozed off to sleep, dreaming of finding piles and piles of food, he thought of a few questions he should ask Sammy the next day.