Big Fish or Small Fish? | Clare Henney

What would you prefer: small fish in a big pond or big fish in a small pond? I prefer the former and not the latter. I think that being the small fish in a big pond teaches you a thing or two about humility. It puts things into perspective. When you’re the big fish, there is a huge chance of temptation to feel bigger than who you actually are. In my thirty-four years of life, I’ve had the chance to be both. There is, however, more to learn when you start as a small fish because you learn and appreciate the value of hard work and perseverance. When you start from nothing then work toward something, it has helps you to look at the bigger picture. On my end it made me realize that there is so much more out there that’s bigger than me so I shouldn’t take myself too seriously.

Even with opportunities in life that have helped me to be a big fish in a small pond (so to speak), I would still prefer to consider myself a small fish. No matter how “big” of a fish I can be, there is always something out there that I don’t know – things I can learn about or from – because there is still so much in life to out there for me to discover. In that sense, I will always be a small fish.

It is because of that belief that I often find myself puzzled when I encounter people who always act like they’re a big fish. How they can get caught up on being a big thing in their small corner of the world when there’s a much bigger world out there that they may not even be capable to “swim in” is something that I cannot understand. Don’t they realize that once you’re the big fish, once you think of yourself as being on top, there’s no other way to go but down? I have met several important people from many walks of life and the most successful ones are usually the ones who are the most humble: people who act like small fish even if they are big fish. These are people I look up to. These are the kind of people I would like to be. The kind that see every day as a learning experience. People who would like to be challenged and are still open to grow. People who are open to making mistakes and being corrected.

Lately I’ve felt that I need to search for a bigger pond to wade in. People say I’m crazy because I’ve established myself in the career and industry I’ve had in the past decade but I would really like to dip my feet into something new. There is a much bigger world out there than what I’ve limited myself to. I’d like to be able to experience it as much as I can.