12 Aug Be Strong, But Don’t Be A Shark
I often compare athletes to animals. For example, certain people display lion like courage while others seem to have more in common with calming pets. We attach certain characteristics with different species. Well known shark species such as the tiger, hammerhead, and great white are feared predators. They are extraordinary athletes built for speed, power, and agility. And for the most part, they hunt alone.
Dolphins are extraordinary athletes, too. Everything about a dolphin is designed to thrive in the water. They are fast, powerful, intelligent, and incredibly agile. But there is an important difference between dolphins and sharks that goes beyond the fact that sharks are fish and dolphins are mammals.
Dolphins understand the power of together.
Dolphins form strong social bonds. They cooperate when they hunt, protect one another from danger, and support the injured and sick. Their strength isn’t simply found in what they can do individually. Their greatest advantage is what they can accomplish together.
There’s a lesson in this for all of us. Talent matters. Strength matters. Speed, skill, and competitiveness matter. But none of those things are as powerful as talented people who work hard, care for one another, and work toward something unselfish.
When we’re at our best, we find ways to be more like dolphins than sharks.