[Private & Confidential]

Dear Little Goldfish,

You might think that this letter is not for you and that you don’t know me. I need you to trust me on this and continue reading as you will soon realise that both your assumptions are wrong.

I know that you are both a day-dreamer and a highly pragmatic person, you are full of ambitions and dreams you keep wondering whether they will eventually come true or not. I also know that you feel different. You love to bits your origins, your family and your home but there is something inside you that just weighs you down, and you don’t know what it is. Let me tell you that I don’t have all of the answers, but I have some that clearly explain as to why you feel that way. The best part? I can’t spoiler them to you because I am afraid you might miss the point here, and you might not enjoy the journey that will give you all the answers to your questions.

I came across a really interesting fact recently, a fact that forced me to reflect and think about you. I also know for a fact that you often think about me, so here I am writing to you. Aren’t we so romantic? Anyway, the fun fact is this:

A goldfish will grow to a proportional size of their tank. This is because they secrete hormones such as aminobutyric acid and somatostatin, which act as a signal of how many other goldfish are in the tank and how much volume of water they occupy. In nature, this is a survival mechanism so that they all grow with a similar size and they don’t run out of resources. So essentially, if you put a goldfish in a small tank, it will stay relatively small; whereas, if you put it in a big tank, with the right conditions and care it will grow bigger to a proportional size of their tank. I know you love science, and you might not accept my words as an evidence for it, so you can find below some references.

I don’t know about you but this interesting fact reminded me of my little self as being a small goldfish forced to stay small in a narrow tank full of other little fishes. Do you know what is even more interesting? the fact that I didn’t realise I was in a small tank until I accidentally jumped in a bigger tank. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t fun and games! It was scary, challenging and nerve wracking trying to survive in a bigger tank with other fishes, but looking back I have soon realised that the jump made me stronger, bigger and more resilient. Since then, I have jumped in several other larger tanks, which challenged me even further and made me grow more and more. I sometimes try to go back to my original tiny tank, but the truth is that I don’t fit anymore and cannot survive in there.

Still think this letter is not for you? I know you are only small but I am sure you understand very well what I am talking about. The only thing I would like to tell is to DARE! Don’t get intimidated by other people’s perception of reality and don’t be daunted when you fail. There is only one way to succeed and get better, and it is through failure. So, look forward to fail as it is equal to say to look forward to learn, get better, grow and succeed. Yes, it will feel uncomfortable at first but it will help you grow and get you closer to your dreams.

Surround yourself with people who believe in your true potential and can support you throughout the process. The last thing you want is toxic people in your life trying to convince you that you are meant to stay small, just because they have never dared to jump into the bigger tank.

Dear little gold fish, I know you will soon realise that being alive is the greatest gift of all as you only get to live once, even though others might try to convince you that there is an “after-life”! So live your life to the fullest and play it with your rules. And most importantly: enjoy the process!

So, what are you waiting for? JUMP!

Love always,

The Big Goldfish.