This story is true-to-life.
You’re in open ocean.
You’re many miles from shore.
You’re just minding your own business, feeling your regular playful self.
You are, in fact, a seal.
Two hundred pounds of blubber . . . very gainly on land, but an acrobat extraordinaire underwater.
But you’re no match for a Great White Shark.
Your speed can’t match his.
Your size can’t even begin to be compared to his (he’s 10x larger).
And you, my friend, are his favorite snack.
And suddenly he’s just there, a massive torpedo from out of the depths, rows of razor teeth just inches from your tail.
There’s nowhere for you to hide . . . no matter how much you zig and zag.
The ocean bottom’s too deep.
The shore’s too far away.
And his teeth are far too close.
Do you believe all is lost?
Do you believe all is lost in possibly another major challenge in your life?
Would you just give up?
Or could there possibly be a way out?
Share your answer in the Comments Box below.
The first person to guess the only possible way for you, as a seal, to escape from the teeth of a Great White Shark in open ocean wins a f’r’e^e 40-minute coaching session with me.
Can you figure it out?
To be honest, I never would have come up with the answer myself if I hadn’t seen it with my own disbelieving eyes on television.
But, as with all of your most difficult challenges in life, there is always another way to look at things . . . another way to approach a situation . . . another way to find your way out of it.
Share one of your own such stories on how you solved a problem. . . overcame a challenge . . . healed a wound . . . by doing something that took a little shift of consciousness, a little leap of faith.
Very likely there will be at least one person of the thousands of people around the world who will read what you write in the Comments Box below, and who will discover you have provided a solution for a very tough situation they are facing.
Make this blessing happen for yourself and for them.
Light a light.
Extend a hand.
And while you’re helping your brother and sister Wealthy Souls with your inspiring personal story, see if you can figure out the only way for you, as a seal, to escape from becoming a Great White’s Munchie by sharing your thoughts now in the Comments Box below –
A Great White Hug (with no teeth!)
Michael
God is at my side always. If God is for us, who can be against us. I ve experienced the saving power of God thru His Wisdom. He told me where to go and consult. A famous nutritionist, named Maureen Sullivan, LITE FOR LIFE. After 6 weeks, I lost 20 lbs and my diabetes is gone. Can you imagine that. I am free from my blood sugar ailment thru person in the power of Jesus and Mama Mary. The dietician is a devotee of MaMa Mary.
At present , i am freed from the Great White of diabetes and I am sure, with proper eating habit and the correct food and exercise I will go on lite for life..Praise the Lord!!!
Answer:
The Seal by staying close to the shark’s huge head and positioning itself behind the shark’s mouth with its five rows of serrated teeth, the seal does not allow the shark enough space to line up head on where it can sink it’s teeth into the seal.
WOW! I do the only thing I can do! I gather my courage and meet the shark head on-I drop from above and even though my heart is pounding I dive, dive, dive and torpedo the shark right between the eyes – not once, not twice, but until the shark is bamboozled by ITS inablility to understand what has happened. Yeah! shark retreats and I make a quick dash for home.
You go at it face on…..look it straight in the eyes…like most challenges or problems….go at it straight on!!!! Show no fear!!!!
I would recognize my strength is in my agility and I would climb onto the sharks back out of reach of his jaws
stay out of it’s line of sight … stay at it’s back where it has a difficult time seeing …
Larry Butcher lived downstairs. He was chasing me on his tricycle. I yelled to my mother, who poked her head out of the upstairs window and yelled, “Turn around and go the other way! Then you’ll be chasing him!”
Learned that one at age 4, and I’m 56 now.
Look it in the eye…face it head on.
I lay perfectly still in the water, leaving the shark with only his poor eyesite to find me.
Because I am smaller and quicker than the shark, I am able to bomb dive him from above and on top of his head, stunning him while I make a run for cover.
Let go and Let God. Best escape I know of from lots of great white things.
I would allow myself with all my blubber and bouyancy (one of my natural attributes of course) to catch a wave and ride with the wind(life’s events) diverting the shark’s attack.
Rather than waste the energy of getting away from the Great White, I would swim alongside of the shark out of eyesight. Drafting, sort of utilizing it’s swimming strength so that I wouldn’t have to work as hard. My hope would be something larger would catch it’s attention and I would be able to swim away unscathed.
I would chase the sharks tail until he got tired chasing me, then I would swim away to safety.
I would rise above the situation – by rising above the white whale at the moment that he plans to have me for dinner. By landing on his blow hole,his weakness will be my strengh – plus I’ll enjoy the ride – and soon he will be my favorite meal.
I would look face the shark, say my prayers of gratitude for my life and trust the wisdom of the universe that my life would continue eternally regardless of the form it took. Whether I escaped unscathed or became his dinner, I would always cherish the gift of life that I have and be grateful for the many blessings I receive every moment.
Turn belly up and play dead to avoid the shark!!!
I didn’t see a shark, however I had a dog. The beasts differ between, but the principal is the same. The animals perfectly know who fears them and who not. If I will meet the shark someday, I would say the same as to the barking dog, Hi, my dear fellow. The hearty smile is one and only our weapon against the evil forces, against our own disbelief in the magic of love and the light.
There are no sharks in Lithuania, but the dogs bark dangerously IN CASE WE FEAR THEM.
That’s no wonder: The God is with us and the divine love creates the incredible miracles. For example, my head bones were broken and I walked literally on the edge of the death for a long time, yet I am writing to you now, my dear. Plus I hearty invite you to visit my art galleries on the web. Please click on the http://www.trans4mind.com/karkalas and feel yourself there as at the home.
I ,too, would face the great white head on and believe that if my time has come then it will soon be over. If not, then God will provide for me.
I think this is a good opportunity to tell others how important it is to have a good relationship with GOD. Great White Sharcks are all over, only GOD knows and only he tells us how AVOID thinks like this through his Word,in scriptures of the B I B L E. When danger is around he prepares a plan for us, in his own way, that we never can even immagen we need to trust in GOD because HE is ALLMIGHTY, HE created us and this world HE sees the future, HE never lies or tries us, he loves us this is why he send his only begothen SON to us to teach more about GOD and die for us. The only thing that we can do stick with HIM and do everithing HE says that he can know you when time comes. If you know GOD and he knows you, you will have relationship together and you will be safest, happiest person in the universe.
This reminds me a story that I heard when I was little.
There was a flood in a city and everybody was runing away exept the priest that was preying inside the charch for GOD to save him. A man came with boat and called him, Father lets go water is rising, I’ll take you to the safety. Father says, No,my God will help me I’ll stay in the charch, and he continued praying. Water was realy rising so fast, the man left. The priest climbed in the top of the roof and was preying for GOD to save him. And then a helicopter came and a man yelled to priest to go with him says this is your last chance everybody else left but the Father says, No, my GOD will help me. Ofcaurs the water covered the roof and priest drouned. Then he saw the GOD and asked “GOD why you didn’t help me when I desperetely was crying and praying for your help I so beleaved in YOU. And GOD sead, “I sended a boat yau didn’t go, I sended a helicopter you didn’t go.
Well others have written this but I will add …to stay perfectly calm, still, stop beathing as in a meditative state and go with the flow of the ocean waves… The shark will be looking for moving targets I think. Being calm might not give out vibration to attract it. Having the grace to go with the flow and stay calm I think is the way to escape .. No reaction to the action of the shark swimming towards you..
swim straight at his eyes.
I imidiatly refuse to give up and become powerless.Instead i use the power of my mind,my positive thoughts and belief system that i can overcome any challenges in life,even the great white shark.
Does the seal turn belly-up and ‘surrender’?
There have been many times in my life when a problem seemed too overwhelming. At these times, not knowing what else to do, I have surrendered: turned ‘belly-up’ and simply told the Universe, “Guys, I can’t handle this on my own, it’s over to you!”
I immediately refuse to give up to become powerless.Instead i use the power of my mind,my posittive thoughts and believe system that i can overcome any challenges in life,even the great white Shark.
I think the smart thing to do would be to get under the belly of the shark and stay there, manouevering oneself according to the movement of the shark, thus hiding oneself away from danger constantly making movements according to it and then finding the chance slip away unnoticed.
I am a diasbetic for over 20 years that is my great white. five years ago I had a wonderful life and a wonderful job as a legal research secretary. Then I hurt my first right toe. I ended up having the toe surgically removed. This began a chain of infections in my system that has led to the loss of my vision I an now statutory blind. and I have lost both legs to infections and a series of 6 surgeries. Had I been told when this all began that I would be having a wonderful day just 3 wekks before my 63 birthday I would never have believed it. The Lord has been at my side through all the hospital stays and all my recovery and has given me many wonder opportunities to serve Him. I am able through touching to sew and may clothes for small children around the world through the church humanitarian work. I also make quilts not the fancy ones that were made of old but just simple lap quilts. I am able through the efforts of my many ministering angels in the church to have a computer that enlarges print so I can read and do geneaologic research and wonderful time consuming effort. The Lord has so richly blessed me and all that I do. I have a wonderful life as Katy the legless.
As far as I know great whites have teeth under his head, so the idea is to go in his direction but being an acrobat I would go over the upper side of the white.
I breathe, try to think of the answers and remember that I am not alone. I am loved, I have hope and I can face this right now. I swim closer to the danger to stay out of sight and avoid allowing the monster to follow my scent and smell my fear while I plan and pray and live.
I have just read some of the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren here on vacation in NYC , and realize that it is never about me, but more about the Spirit of Love within each and everyone of us that makes the difference, love Virginia xxx so from on let’s focus on the force of love that can overcome all obstacles, xxx
http://www.cyber-nation.com …. dreams can come true so dream big ones XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
The seal is more agile, can turn quickly and outmanoeuvre the shark, i.e. if you want to get away be alert, be quick, be flexible and keep cool.
I would be still. This would confuse the shark.
If this ocean is populated by seals it must be in a cold region
Therefore seals can by virtue of the blubber they contain are able to stand freezing temperatures and pressures much better than sharks. With this fact in mind and being that seal I would rapidly decend to the freezing depths in a zigg-zagging fashion until I reached a depth at which the shark would be forced by cold and increasing water pressure to give up.
People are a lot like that seal
most of if not all of us possess skills and abilities that others dont .All we need to do is uncover what they are, appreaciate and love ouselves , then we are capable of loving others.
Pop the shark in the nose, the most sensitive part of the shark and it will go away.
As they say, “Keep your loved ones close, but your enemies closer…”
Swim directly underneath the shark, gaining speed on its “surf”, close under the teeth. Sharks don’t have the same dexterity, or the reach!
I rise above it – I look up at the light and go for it. I take the leap of faith out of the water and jump. My leap of faith away from my Great White and to save my life this week is quitting smoking. My quit date is this Friday, Aug. 18th, and I’m petrified. Please pray for my strength, courage, and determination. Thank you! 🙂
I would use the intelligence given to me by god and its angels, look at the shark with bulging eyes, and just when it is about to attack me, turn around swiftly with my back towards his front and give him a good swipe on his nose with my tail becuase that’s where he is most vunerable, and swim as fast as i could but he probably swim away himself because he nver expect anyone to fight back
I would know I couldn’t run (swim) fast enough or long enough to escape. So I would have to turn and watch (in guard) to figure what to do. When approached, I’d try to maneuver out of its way and possibly strike it on its nose. This would send a lot of animals away, probably a shark as well.
Fight back, don’t give up.
This also applies when one is in times of difficulities or faced with temptations.
stay behind or under it!
As I see it, the seal has no choice but to Let Go and Let God. “HE is my refuge and my strength.” The best the seal can do is to swim out of the shark’s line of vision and try to stay under the belly and/or behind him but being very careful and watchful that the Great White doesn’t slam his huge body down ontop of the seal and injure or crush him.
I`d do my best and trust in God. Death has to come one day or the other so, if this is how God wills, i`d not complain. However, i`d do all my by best to rescue myself.
what shark?
Total surrender, play dead. The fun for the shark is in the chase. By refusing to be part of the drama the act is over.
If I were this little seal faced with a whale or shark, I think I would always have to to remember my favorite verse from Isaiah 41:10, Because everywhere I go, everything I do, God is there, watching over me and taking care of me and if it is my time to go, then that time would be be sweet as well.
Life has many “white Sharks”. I have faced mine by asking God – why did you put this here in my path – what do you want me to do.
Everytime I have had to go to the hospital I found God had a mission for me to do for someone else. To council with them, to comfort them, to pray with them. Had I not had the “white shark” of illness I would never have been there at that time and place.
I would try to make myself look like anything BUT a seal. I would tuck my head in, pull my fins up close to my side and mimic a ball. That way, the shark may not perceive me as a seal at all and might not think I was something to eat, rather just a ball of floating junk he should pass by.
If I were able to keep my head I would flow unconditional love to the shark and thereby connect with it. It would not see me as separate from it and to attack me would be to attack itself.
I have been able to do this with a dog attack and with and a number of horses. I addressed the higher self or addressed the God in them as we should with all people
Mike, my answer to be still is all I can think of and I imagine it as a lesson in my life. In my past I have reacted by running away. I have also not picked my battles wisely, not that I should have battled at all. I find that nearly each and every time I have brought a knife to a gun fight. I came here recently seeking another way, and yes I need another way out of my financial situation first and foremost. In that realm of thinking last Saturday I thought I would pay more atttention to my step daughter. I bought her a scooter a long while back and the tire went flat and the thing just sat for a while. So we rode around to a bunch of rv and bike shops and tire stores. All the while finances are on my mind (foreclosure on my home) (business at a standstill) etc. etc. While we were at a tire store I notices an envelope “sticking out the grill on my car”. Naturally I thought it was a ticket cause that is what it looked like at first. Strange. So I pulled it from the grill and it was a envelope for the payment of a local newspaper that had somehow got into my grill. I did, I looked inside and there was 6 bucks in it. I had been asking for financial help but wow what irony. Luckily, the envelope had an address to a part of town that we had been in earlier 6 miles away so we returned it to a nice lady who told my step daughter that she had beautiful eyes. I told her that she was talking to me just for fun but nevertheless I think that I taught my daughter an important lesson about honesty and we went home with her head in the clouds bout the beautiful comment about her eyes and I fixed the scooter and we had a great day.
The only way how to escape is to LET GO or Let it be. No matter No matter what the life circumstances are there is still possibility to have joy in every situation – and if there is a joy than there is a happiness and external situation disappears by itself. So if I were a seal I would be astonished by such white shark and try to play with it – no fear just pure awareness of this Great white. And be happy.
In zen we say:
The only way to be happy is now
The only way to be happy is here.
So why not be happy in the see?
Suzan
If you had a steel cage around you, you would be invincible.
As you have asked…Many years ago I have my life over to the Lord to do His bidding no matter what He asked. I knew that was a tall order but I was sure that whatever He wanted from me He coul help me do it. It was shortly after this surrender that my surgeries began. All I could say “I can do ALL things through Christ.” I have never allowed this thought be far from me as the years and challenges have come my way. In my searching of the scriptuires the one thing I have found most helpful has been the expectation that one keep a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. As I think of all the things I CAN do in the work of the Lord I feel so very blessed knowing that my Heavenly Father has not put more on me than I can bear. He will make my way for me. I serve my Lord first then I serve others second then myself. It is amazing how many ways I can find to help others. by e-mail, by phone, by cards and by preparing special dishes when they need a helping hand. God makes all things possile. May God be praised for His devine guidence.
Katy the Legless
It was the day before the Indy 500 in May of 1994 when Robert, my spiritual teacher, said that he was tired fighting the complications AIDS and was ready to die. My son and I sat quietly and looked at each other at his request and then we both reponded, “it is OK to let go.”
The next day, my son and I went out to a farm that we had been for the past 5 years to watch the Indy 500 on satelite as we passed a statue of a cement Zebra.
My son looked at me and me at him in complete shock as we had not seen this cement zebra for the previous 5 years and yet, there it was. What shocked us even more was the fact that the children at the farm were playing on an inflatable zebra! This was it! Robert is going to die.
Two weeks went by and Robert was placed in hospice for his last days. It took me several days to get the courage to go say goodbye to him, but when I did, I got a huge surprise. Over the nurses station was a picture of a herd of zebras. I shared the story about Robert and they placed the picture of the herd of zebras in his room. It was not long after that that Robert went into a coma and joined the herd of zebras.
He has asked me to share this story so that everyone can be on the lookout for the zebras! In medical terms, a zebra is in medicine does not refer to the striped African animal but to an unlikely diagnostic possibility.
To Robert, it simply meant to always and in all ways to look for the good in everything and everyone.
And so to everyone who reads this, happy zebra hunting!
Jack Needham
As a seal, I would do a summer-sault to the underside of the shark and would clomp onto a fin with my teeth and let him pull me along until he found something else to attack. Then I would quietly drop off and gently float the opposite direction of the kill.
The great white in my life? I am facing it right now. The many of the great whites of life turn out to be less powerful once we have gotten beyond them….Kind of like a movie set. All big front and no substance. I am hoping that is what mine is. I am still trying to find the doorway to the back. I can’t go around, I have to go through.
My personal great white….was Lupus… I say “was” because I have been in remission for a little over two years.
You know living with lupus can be pretty miserable. Imagine having a bad case of flu that never goes away….and you’ll understand about a 1/4th of what its like.
But as much as lupus frustrated me and turned my life upside down for a while…. I have to say it was also a blessing. Today when I look at a rose…or any flower for that matter..or the clouds in the sky….or the blueness of the sky itself…i see a color that astounds me… a color and a beauty that i didn’t appreciate before my journey with lupus. Lupus enriched my life beyond words.
Do not take anything in your day for granted…be grateful and positive…and know that your body needs certain nutrients in order to take care of itself… don’t squander your health on junk or fast food or processed food.
{{{HUGS}}}
Michael, thank you for the invite to re-contribute.
Monetary problems, the challenges of parenthood, blocks to creativity and homelessness, while stressful and at one time and seemed endless and hopeless, pale into insignificance, in comparison to the heroism of people who have triumphed over major physical health challenges.
I am inspired by their stories: their creative spirit; their willingness to share their experiences and their courage in reinventing themselves.
I believe the freedom to create is paramount in becoming a Wealthy Soul. With the freedom to create; to express who you are, the ‘great white shark’ simply disappears!
Blessings,
Imelda
Bean got the right answer, but I find it interesting how symbolic the answer turns out to be.. when we have problems instead of running from them and having them chase us down, we should chase THEM down, tackle them, confront them, deal with them, and resolve them once and for all. Bravo to the seal that survived.
If I were a harbor or elephant seal fighting for my life, I’d attempt to blind the great white with my claws, teeth and fins. Then, I’d use his size and my agility to my advantage by flipping unto his head where the shark could not REACH me!
Then, I’d say a seal prayer of thanksgiving and stay there until the shark died or was so injured he could not chase me.
When you believe in yourself, God, the abundance of Good people, and unlimited possibilities/ opportunities in life, NO situation is hopeless.
Linda and I are living, breathing PROOF that life is what YOU make it!
We have severe cerebral palsy. We work with families and children in need and serious crisis to show the world God’s unlimited love and the unlimited potential He gives each of us.
We KNOW we make a positive daily difference and make our world a better place with help of God and good people.
With the same attitude and philosophy, we will raise 1 billion for charity in 20 years or less.
Blessings,
Dr. Steve Hammonds, M.S.,D.D
If I were a harbor or elephant seal fighting for my life, I’d attempt to blind the great white with my claws, teeth and fins. Then, I’d use his size and my agility to my advantage by flipping unto his head where the shark could not REACH me!
Then, I’d say a seal prayer of thanksgiving and stay there until the shark died or was so injured he could not chase me.
When you believe in yourself, God, the abundance of Good people, and unlimited possibilities/ opportunities in life, NO situation is hopeless.
Linda and I are living, breathing PROOF that life is what YOU make it!
We have severe cerebral palsy. We work with families and children in need and serious crisis to show the world God’s unlimited love and the unlimited potential He gives each of us.
We KNOW we make a positive daily difference and make our world a better place with help of God and good people.
With the same attitude and philosophy, we will raise 1 billion for charity in 20 years or less.
Blessings,
Dr. Steve Hammonds, M.S.,D.D
Just because a shark(and its teeth) are right behind the seal doesn’t mean that the shark is actually after the seal. That shark might be looking at another object of prey beyond the seal. Often, things aren’t as they appear to be. From the shark’s perspective, that seal might simply be in the way of some other form of prey, or the shark might not be after the seal at all. Not all sharks are killers.
I’m sorry to double post. I forgot to add my name to the post right above mine.
Hello Again!
Thanks Michael for the encouragement and invitation to come back.
I’ve been facing and over- comming “great whites” all my life and helping others find ways to defeat their own great white sharks.
I was born poor,and with multiple disabilities of cerebral palsy, low vision, and learning/perception challenges.
When I was 5, I was labeled mentally retarded and told by some adults including teachers that I was too “dumb” to go to school and graduate from high school.
I knew better! And, so did several good teachers who fought hard for me and risked their careers moving heaven and earth to help me succeed to graduate from high school, college, and even GRADUATE school!
Can YOU believe it? Can YOU see, feel, touch, and taste the very real power of love,
faith,hope, positive actions, and hard/smart work?
Hello Again!
Thanks Michael for the encouragement and invitation to come back.
I’ve been facing and over- comming “great whites” all my life and helping others find ways to defeat their own great white sharks.
I was born poor,and with multiple disabilities of cerebral palsy, low vision, and learning/perception challenges.
When I was 5, I was labeled mentally retarded and told by some adults including teachers that I was too “dumb” to go to school and graduate from high school.
I knew better! And, so did several good teachers who fought hard for me and risked their careers moving heaven and earth to help me succeed to graduate from high school, college, and even GRADUATE school!
Can YOU believe it? Can YOU see, feel, touch, and taste the very real power of love,
faith,hope, positive actions, and hard/smart work?
To outwit the shark and survive, as he’s ten times larger than me and less agile firstly I would dive and manoeuvre myself to be behind him, remaining close but not touching his backbone where he couldn’t see me, slipstream along with him like his shadow and keep out of his sight and away from his jaws until he tires of the chase then, at the first opportunity head off as fast as possible in a new direction straight to the nearest school of fish and dive into it, trusting he would be distracted and find alternative sustenance there.
Pop the shark in the nose, the most sensitive part of the shark and it will go away. Any “impossible” situation can be overcome with courage and facing any difficulty head-on. Turning tail and running will not make the situation better. It will only become worse. Do the impossible and it becomes possible with the help of the entire universe behind you. Face the fear and focus on what you want and it becomes possible. The seal faces the shark with courage and with a little effort of popping the shark in the most sensitive part…makes the shark turn away from the attack.
It is easy to think of ways to avoid, tackle or give in to whatever great whites we have in our lives, when it is presented in text and when we are in the comfort and safety of land. It is my belief that two behaviors must be exhibited as a response to this challenge.
1. One must first make a decision. Of course our decisions are based on personal experiences and influences in our lives. The key point, though, is to make a decision. Decision is the father of the second behavior –
2. Action. Once we engage and decide, we must next execute.
The result of both your decision and action will ultimately determine your fate. Here’s the best part – whether you hail victorious or fail, there will always be a “lesson learned” from the experience. And that lesson learned will naturally influence future decisions and actions. Both the seal and every contributor in the blog has, in one way or another, made a decision and acted upon it.
Here’s to all the seals out there!!
Respectfully,
winston
Hi Michael…The only way I can see for the seal to get away from the shark is to turn and face the shark head on, this will leave him a little stunned. It will also give the seal the courage it needs to recognize and use it’s own unique talents to get away from the shark.
This something we can all learn, the best way to overcome your fears is to face them, than look inside for the courage we need defeat them.
My greatest fear was being alone, that’s no one love or on one to love me. I was married for twenty one years and I have one boy, he twenty seven years old now. I also come from a large family, I never thought that I fit in, so I always over compensated, putting other before myself. As you can imagine, that didn’t a good myself image. I felt like no one really cared about me. I decided what I needed to do was to pick and move a few hundred mile away from my family and my close friends, I also had to start my career over. I moved into a one room apt. in my new city, no tv anything would give me an out from myself. I started to do some soul searching, get to know me. I did a lot of reading, self help type of books, this lead me on the path to spiritualism. A huge change from being an atheist. I found my path back to God, but that’s not the best thing that happened, I found my path back to myself, this is an ongoing journey to find the love that I missed and need the most, myself. I now look forward to some time with me, time to sit and listen to my inner self, time to mediate.
I’m now a more compassionate person. I know that I will be married again. Thank You.
I have loved reading every story in this blog. What a wealth of information in just trying to figure out the answer….but isn’t that what all of us do every day….try to come up with answers to our immediate “great white danger”.
My answer to the riddle posted would be that I am a LARGE seal and the great white is just a SMALL baby shark.
I have found that most of the things I have been worried about or afraid of were in larger proportion than what they really were. When I look back on my problems, they were really small when compared to what could have happened or what did happen.
Ask yourself – What is the worst thing that can happen? What is the best thing that can happen? And then swim like mad towards the best!
I am an optimist and i believe that everything and everyone is good unless it is proven otherwise. My elders have always warned me that i have to be on watch against evil which is so widely prevalent in this world and though i listened to such talks with eager concern, it failed to bring any change in my nature. In fact,I have hardly ever faced any big problems in life, thank God!
My experience says that motivation is an important factor in life. Motivation has to be strong and pure, pure because only its flawlessness will give it strength and drive it to the target.We must always live with an aim and remain in persistent pursuit of our goals.I also believe that the element of faith is very important because it is there we look up to for the success of our efforts and, in order that we look up to Him for His care and attention, it is very important for us to be good human beings, just as He wants us to be,free from all inhibitions,apostles of love and beauty. Once we have faith in ourselves being such, i can assure you even iron will melt in your hands.I`ve seen this happening and i wish it happens to everyone and everywhere, so this world really becomes a place worthy to live!
Well..I guess that’s a very hard situation..If I were in the seal’s place I would think to myself that I am 100% dead..BUT,I really won’t give up that easily..I’ll pray silently & I’ll strive till my last breath,yeah I WILL..
The great white was the death of our daughter when she was 30 years old and a mother herself. I kept walking and talking and trying to get on with life and I was managing to appear somewhat normal so that folks would just write off my oddities as, “You know her daughter just died.” Then a friend of many years offered me a job and would not allow me to hide…finally one day this friend sent me to a counselor who has also helped and supported me…there are also many friends and family members who continue to love and nurture me along with the ones who don’t let me hide from being myself. So, I bet the other seals come and help their friend and thus so confuse the shark that he is no longer after me and his attack is averted!
My own great white is simply surviving years of sexual abuse by my own father and not having completely lost my mind from it. In fact not only was i able to overcome years of being mentally “washed” but i have also become very succesful in my career and will eventually own my own business. All of this is because I found the courage to face my fears and frustrations and demons head on. Once I started facing the constant memories and reminders, I mean actually reliving how I felt in those moments of time and realizing I was big and strong and brave now, they eventually faded away one by one until I was finally able to almost completely forget that such an awful thing had ever happened to me. God has played a big part in recent years. PRAYING has been a salvation for me whenever I feel a particuarly rough “memory time” comming on and I’ve been able to put the bad feelings away each time with His help. With the grace of God, I have been able to forgive my father from deep within my heart and I pray that he recieves the help he truly needs so that he can forgive himself for being so awful, and never again want to harm another child the way he harmed his own. I know many others out there have this same great white, and I can only pray that you too will have the courage to face it head on and fight.
I wouldn’t allow myself to get in the position of being vulnerable to the great white shark in the first place. Seals have a pattern of travel and the sharks know the pattern and are there waiting. I would change my pattern of travel so I wouldn’t continually be faced with the same problem. The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same thing time and again and expect to have a different outcome.
My answer is my God is more than able to remove me from any situation. A few years ago,I was going to South Africa for my son’s wedding and had to get group visas. I got for 11 and there was a lady from upcountry who brought her application late. I pleaded with the Embassy and the earliest hers could be ready was the morning we were leaving. I did not let her know the situation, but with faith in God, asked her to get ready and come to the Airport at the departure time. Meanwhile, I asked the travel agent to go to the Embassy and be there when they open. My group got to the Airport and started checking in of course as a group, but I kept privately calling the agent to find how far she has gone and by the time my lady friend got to the counter the visa had come (15 kms away from the Embassy. This God faithfulness has encouraged me more to know God is more than able in all situations, we only need to trust Him fully. He enabled the agent vehicle have no problems on the way and just got to us on time. He is the only one worthy our trust.
Esther Maina – Kenya
Dear Michael,
I post my letter (stictly abridged) here because I havent any other way to reach you.
I just have red your polite and indeed the comprehensive response, the explanation of why you have deleted my post.
I put a picture ABC on my blog http://captains-bridge.blogspot.com/
“Artists rejoice at the divinity of the light but that is proved by the market that sells their pictures”.
Is it the truth or the sad irony?
Divinity of the light rests in our choice.
I would greatly appreciate your feedback.
Please have a look.
Thank you,
Tomas
It seems to me that there are three possibilites for the seal.
One:- he/she could surrendour and play dead, that way he might be ignored.
Two:- he/she could abandon the ‘seal consciousness’ for the ‘great white consciousness’and be one of the gang.
Three:- he/she could decide to be friends and let go of fear
I would face him down and make a maneuver to stay of eyesight, most of all I would reach down and take hold of my courage and pray for any opening so I could find a way out. I would not quit until my last breath. Put my failth in God to find a window or a way out of the dilemna.
Uhmmm…sounds too difficult, it would take lots of effort on the part of the seal..unless he surrenders, which most probably could mean his death. And we all like that sometimes, only that in everything that I have to go through, I never lost sight of the light and His presence in my life. I have gone through depression in my early twenties. The once beautiful scenery that I enjoyed became dull, the dark blue skies suddenly became dark and cloudy, I couldn’t see nor feel anything except the emptiness inside me. I have lost the joy and zest for living. Being a loner and an introvert by nature, It had been a little difficult for me to fight the disease that’s slowly eating my soul. I cant even tell my family and friends about it, its a strange thing to them, they would not understand. I cant even explain it myself. I had to go through it all alone and shed my tears in bed.My faith in God and my love for my family are the only things that keep me going, its as if I had been hanging on a thread and praying that I may able to hold on till the dark shadow that’s been hovering over me is gone. There was a time that I wished God was there infront of me so I could tell Him what’s eating me up, that I am about to surrender, then i cried so fervently and imagined Him holding me tight,telling me its gonna be OK and I feel relaxed.Through all those times, I never stopped going to church, I prayed the rosary harder, I engaged in things that would take my mind away from myself, I made myself busy and bonded with friends. Thank God,I became well again after about a year of struggle against depression. And I pray that I may not go through it all again and He may also gather into His bosom all those who might be suffering from it.
The only way to beat the Great White is to Swim like Hell, leap and dive and outmaneuver the shark… Yeah, I watched Discover’s Shark Week, too.(LOL)
The skink climbed the concrete picnic tables you were sitting on first then loosed his tail.
I can learn from the great white and pursue the large “enemies” in life like procrastination, fear, lack of tenacity. Losing my tail could be getting rid of the unneccessary things that hold me down from acheiving success.
With my white sharks I stay out of sight. Not always the best answer because when I focus on the great whites then I can’t see the other possibilities.
I FACE THE SHARK WITH ALOT OF COURAGE JUST AS I HAVE FACED MANY OTHER PROBLEMS./ ALL THESE COUPLED WITH PRAYER.THE LORD IS ALWAYS BY OUR SIDE AND HE WILL NOT LOOK ASIDE WHEN WE ARE IN PROBLEMS.