Fish! for Life: A Remarkable Way to Achieve Your Dreams

by John Christensen, Harry Paul, Stephen C. Lundin, et al.

Book Overview

There's a new FISH in the pond Here's a brilliant parable for everyone who wants to lead a fuller, happier life illions of business people have already used the bestselling FISH books to improve the way they work. Now, the authors turn their attention to life's daily personal challenges, helping readers deal with them simply and effectively. By applying the FISH principles of Play, Make Their Day, Choose Your Attitude, and Be Present, FISH...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401300715
• ISBN13: 9781401300715
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 130 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Bring the FISH philosophy to your home

Bring the FISH philosophy into your homelife and affect the people that really matter to you. FISH is about finding the positive in what you do and radiating that to others. It's a concise manner of stating that whatever environmental factors surround you, the weather, opinions of others, your bank account, and the like, the attitude you bring to your endeavors will supercede any negative result of those environmental factors. Scott Ginsburg says it well when he says to make yourself "psychologically impregnable". Think about the power of that concept. If you can make yourself immune to what's goes on outside of your thoughts, you'll go much farther toward your success. Your thoughts are the only thing over which you have total control. This book takes the FISH concept that succeeded in the Pike Street Fish Market of Seattle and shows you how to apply it to your homelife and reap benefits with the people that matter most to you. You can finish it in ONE sitting...My favorite part! Melanie Morris, Sales Executive, mmmdallas@yahoo.com

the most inspiring book I have read lately

If this book does not inspire you to come alive and get going with your life, nothing will. And it is not some philosoper's old boring stuff; it is real life from ordinary fish mongers. It is down-to-earth information that is easily read, easily undetstood, and easy to apply to your own life. I plan to reread this little book several times a year to remind me what any person can easily do to become "great."The whole idea of the Pike Place Fish Market is inspirational. If you have ever been to the market in Seattle, you will be quite inspired and maybe even a happier person right away because if it. The people who work there are inspirational. They are succeeding personally and as part of a team. They are very happy to be working where they are. They have a formula for success that is really working, and working for ordinary people. This is why they sell tons of fish on the Internet. This is why they perform training programs all over the country. This is why they sell so many books and videos and T-shirts. If you do not check into this source of inspiriation you are losing out. I'm so glad I know about Fish!

4 simple principles to make your organization fun.

Fish is simple. The book espouses 4 principles that are simple to understand yet often missing in most workplaces. Reading this book will help any business leader/manager look for ways to involve their employees in making their jobs fun and enjoyable and thereby a place they want to be. I manage the accounting and finance areas of my organization and I purchased Fish for all my employees. We have begun meeting and discussing ways to apply the principles found in Fish, the first dealing directly with the employee and their attitude when they walk in the door. The attitude they bring to work will effect their day and the effect the people around them. Fish leads you from helping your employees understand the importance of their attitude to helping them make the workplace vibrant and enjoyable for everyone. There are a million books in the marketplace telling you how to make your employee's lives easier. Fish tackles the concept that the employee is responsible for taking the first step to make the organization a great place. Too often, we are told the company makes the people. The fact is, the people make the company. Fish will help you decide whether to allow your people to languish or lead them to a better and happier life and job.

A Fish Story That's Real & Inspirational

What does a "Toxic Energy Dump" and throwing fish have to do with life, especially performance in the workplace? A great deal according to the authors of The Fish. In this parable you learn very quickly and easily how to turn around a "toxic" environment. Although the solutions may sound simple and obvious, they remind us - that regardless of our position in an organization, it's a great thing to find enjoyment and satisfaction in our ordinary day-to-day work lives. The writers provide simple descriptions of what attitude and fun can do to turn around the "toxic energy dump" in the workplace. The fable and principles show you how to bring hope and excitement to the people who perform the "back room" functions. This book is a quick read, with principles that are easy to grasp and apply. Laughter and fun are great bridge builders between people - I encourage you to try The Fish and see how these principles are used to build bridges not only at a renowned fish market in Seattle, but between people within a back room department and other departments.

It's about life!

This is a brief, simple, but elegant book that is an eye opener for those of us who grew up with notions like: "Work is serious, let's have no fooling around!" or "Profit is 'the only' way to measure business success."The story is told in the context of a familiar business departmental crisis. Traditional management processes have failed and those who tried to implement change left convinced that conditions would never improve in that department (nicknamed the "Toxic Energy Dump").A new departmental manager is assigned; she must find and implement new solutions or suffer the burden of defeat experienced by her predecessors.Serendipitously, during her lunch break, she discovers a fish market that does not fit preconceptions for that environment most of us would have, i.e., hard, tedious work under unpleasant, uncomfortable conditions. What she does experience is a group of people who are totally involved with their customers, having a lot of fun, and selling lots of fish!She asks one of the fishmongers about how they do this. And so begins the odyssey that uncovers the four key lessons she applies to turn her department around. I believe that these lessons are cornerstones for success both at work and in personal life. The lessons may seem simple and obvious, but they are based the deep needs we all have to feel that we matter, to contribute to others, and to enjoy our work.I attended the first "Fish Camp" in Minneapolis that Steve Lundin and his associates facilitated (they did a great job); I left with the lessons contained in this book. I have discussed these lessons with almost all of the executives I currently coach and have concluded, from their comments, that they both appreciate and apply these insights with success in their work/personal lives and settings. This book is a useful tool in helping people, and groups of people, reframe how they see their work; many discover that they can find enjoyment and satisfaction in their ordinary day-to-day work lives.