I do a type of fishing called downrigger fishing. Simply put, it’s a method of fishing from a boat which allows you to get your bait down deeper to where the fish are.
Downrigger weights are an expensive $40 a pop, the price you pay for going deep. If you lose one, there goes $40. When I started using a downrigger for fishing, I never imagined I would be paying $40 for a chunk of lead!
I’m used to going 20-30 feet deep to catch fish, albeit not very big fish. Recently, when I told a local fisherman about my desire to start fishing in Lake Tahoe, he explained that I would need to go down to 350 feet to catch fish, because that’s where the lunkers are. Then he went on to tell me about the squalls that come on lake, churning up waves of capsizing capability.
My reaction was discouragement at first. That kind of fishing would require all new equipment, not to mention much heavier (and more expensive) weights. I began to work the numbers... all new equipment, including a bigger boat. Maybe I should wait until I win the lottery. Needless to say, I’m counting the cost of this potential new dive into the depths!
Thought: How much time, effort and expense am I willing to invest in order to get clarity and focus on what matters most? I’m talking about something much weightier (no pun intended) than fishing.
In the Bible a good, young and wealthy man asked Jesus what he was lacking in his life, and what he should do about it.
“Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” -Matthew 19:21
Jesus: Give it all up for the treasures of the Kingdom.
Young man: That makes me sad. I’ll catch you later Jesus.
My response: That’s a big ask Jesus, and thinking about it kind of makes me sad too. Can I keep my boat?
But if I sit with this response for a while longer I’m pretty sure I hear Jesus saying, “Knowing and embracing what really matters in this life is of paramount importance. Are you ready for me to take you on this journey of discovery?
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. -Matthew 13:44
The fishing example and this story from the Bible got me thinking…
What’s really important, and why? How much am I willing to invest in order to answer that question with confidence and clarity?
We pay a price for going deep into values-based, purposeful living. Self-discovery and discernment take some hard work. But the investment is well worth it. Getting clarity on core values and prioritizing our lives around those values is like having a large enough boat which holds steady in the storm and won’t capsize when the squalls come up.
Once we do the deeper work of clarifying our values, we have a much better chance at leveraging the present by answering the question, What’s important now? This is the W.I.N. you can learn more about one of my recent posts here.
Are you ready to take the next step toward clarity? Download my free values clarification resource here
Want to take a deeper dive? Take the full assessment and book a coaching call with me to gain further clarity