[00:00:00] Hello. How are you? I am just hopping on because yesterday was the 4th of July, and just like Die Hard is a Christmas movie, Jaws is a 4th of July movie. So when it is the 4th of July, I try to watch Jaws for the millionth time, partly because it's just a fantastic movie, and I love it, and it's one of my top 10 films of all time, for sure.
And if you haven't seen it, then I suggest you stop right now and watch the movie because how dare you not know this movie? But also I wanna bring that up because if you haven't seen the film, this episode is probably going to have spoilers [00:01:00] and talk about plot and characters. So if you really don't care, go ahead and keep listening.
But if you haven't seen it, I am telling you right now that if you really do not wanna hear anything about the movie Jaws, then just stop right now. And the reason why I'm bringing up the movie Jaws is because as I was watching it, I thought about the fact that The shark and the characters really can be a metaphor for many things.
And I have not read the book, so I don't know if there are these kind of themes in the book. This is just based on me watching the movie. And because the shark isn't even seen for most of the movie, I was realizing that, and [00:02:00] I think it was because of what's going on in my own life and the s- the decisions I'm trying to make and the fear that's coming up and the unknown.
The shark in the movie can represent that unknown, can represent that fear. And so I thought, what if I do a quick little episode about how we face our fears and decisions and obstacles in our life, and the fact that the three main characters, Chief Brody, Quint, and Hooper, they represent the different ways and the different whys of facing those invisible, sometimes not so invisible, fears and obstacles in our life.
And so I thought it would be really fun to just quickly go through that, and then while I'm talking about each character, to [00:03:00] think on how you deal with what's going on in your own life. If you have some fear or a decision to make or anything that's in the way, how are you dealing with it? And what are your reasonings, and how do you go about catching it and fighting it and killing it?
And are you just letting that fear and unknown stay in the water and keep you from going in the water, keep you from even going and in on a boat, and you're just letting it swim back and forth out there until it can eat you, or you just never dip your toes in the water at all So as I go through this, I'm gonna be thinking about myself, but I want you to think about how you deal [00:04:00] with any of this as well, because we all have fears.
We all have, um, decisions and obstacles and anything that we need to get rid of, and the only way to get rid of it, which is just like the movie, is you have to find it and you have to kill it, or else it'll keep coming back. So first character, uh, and I think I'll just go by the, the characters we meet h- and the order we meet them in in the movie.
So the first character is Chief Brody, of course. Now, the reasonings for him for hunting the shark, so think of this as a metaphor, so the reasons for hunting down and killing the fear and the obstacles that are keeping you from doing something, that are s- swimming in your way, his, [00:05:00] it starts with it's his job, right?
It's his duty. He has an obligation to fulfill what he needs to fulfill. He's obligated, and he's supposed to do this. And then it even later becomes more personal, of course. The Kintner kid, Mrs. Kintner, also his own kids and his son and what happens there. It becomes more personal. But from the very beginning, it really is h- it's all about his job.
It is his duty to keep everyone safe and away from the shark and not have anyone killed, right? So think about it that way in terms of what you're facing. Are you the type of person, if you think about something in your [00:06:00] life right now, something that you're afraid to do, something you're afraid to face Are you, are you looking at it as a way of, "Well, it's my duty to do this, therefore I'm going to do it"?
Is that going to move you forward? Sometimes we do just have to just tell ourselves it's something we have to do. Let's do it. Let's get it done, and that's it. And once that's done, it's done, right? But then it does become more personal. So when it does become more personal, how do you utilize what you know to do to make sure that still has to happen because it has to?
And also with Brody, he's trained, right? He knows what to do. He knows how to do this. But then [00:07:00] fear comes up for him as well, because it's very unknown where he is. He is in a very unknown place. He's surrounded by unknown people. He isn't from there. He's an outsider. So he's... So how he has to go about doing it means that he has all these obstacles, the town, and the mayor, and everything going on.
He has all these obstacles in his way before he can even get to the fear and get to what is standing in his way and what he has to just get done. So that's where Brody has to navigate all of these extra issues coming at him at the same time, while all he's trying to do is find this shark and have it killed.
So do you have obstacles flying from all sides? Are you [00:08:00] walking down the beach? Are you jumping onto the, the, the barge, to take you across to the kids who are swimming in the water, but you're being stopped by something else as you're trying to get there? So think about the thing you wanna get done and to do, and just start doing it Do you have obstacles in your way?
And is the reason why you're doing it is because it is your duty to do it And then how do we get rid of those obstacles? Well, sometimes we need help, right? Sometimes things need to be done, and sometimes things need to happen. Even if they're some- it's something very uncomfortable that you don't want to happen, sometimes things do need to happen for you to move forward towards that final goal and getting through that final fear.[00:09:00]
So what are those things for you
And unfortunately in the movie those things are people dying. But, uh, obviously I hope that's not true for you. But obviously this is all a metaphor. But what are those obstacles for you? And how are you getting rid of them? How are you making sure that your final destination is being met, that you are getting rid of that fear or whatever it is?
So then we have Quint. Quint is the local fisherman who says he will, for money, he will find the shark and kill it, all of that. And Quint is an older guy. He's, weathered and, um, and he's amazing, by the way. I mean, first of all, the casting, I just [00:10:00] have to side note of how amazing the casting and the writing is of this movie.
So anyway. So Quint, so Quint getting this invisible fear, wanting to kill it, his why, of course, is money, but for him there is also the deep-seated, uh, core drive in him from what happened to him in the past. And so he's just going at it because, yes, money is a factor, but the reason why he knows what he's doing and he wants to kill this shark is because he has some deep-seated core wounds, and that's what's moving him forward.
But part of why h- his personality is the way that it is, part of why [00:11:00] he does things the way that he does them, is because that drive within him is anger. It's, it's a wound. It's a wound that really he's healing through catching sharks, right? So that invisible fear out there that you need to face and you need to kill and you need to catch- Is it being driven by something deeply inside of you, but you're going after it because it's a surface level reason?
So do you have a surface level reason that you're telling yourself, "Well, I wanna do this because this." For instance, and this is just coming to my head, what if you wanna find-- you are looking for a new job or you want to quit your job, but the surface level reason is, "Well, I just [00:12:00] don't like it. I'm not very happy."
But then you have this deep-seated core issue with quitting a job So, I mean, another thing can be you really want to do this thing that's just out there in the ocean that you've been thinking about forever. Let's say it's like writing a book. You want to write a book, and you have the whole idea in your head, but you haven't started even writing it yet.
But the whole thing is in your head, the plot, the, the characters even, and you just haven't put it completely together, but you haven't even written a single word yet. Well, surface level, you're telling yourself, "Oh, well, it's because I don't have time for that. I can't focus enough. I can't find a moment to sit and have hours.
I need hours and hours and hours [00:13:00] to write," right? Well, do you have a deep-seated wound or reasoning behind thinking that you're not a good writer or you're afraid to put it out there? You're afraid of what people are gonna say about your writing? So is it really the time, the surface level, or is it really because you're afraid of what people will say about your writing, hence about you So that's where I like to put Quint because the, what gets him out there Is, sure, I'm gonna make $10,000, but is it also his, the way he feels about people and sharks and his attitude is what gets him killed [00:14:00] Not saying that's what gets him killed exactly, but if you know the movie, it's the, the way he reacts to things, the decisions he makes.
Did that lead to him being killed? Because all he wants to do is be the one who gets this shark. He doesn't want anybody else coming out and helping him, right? Like the mayday call stopping that from happening. It's like, "No, we're getting this shark." So
Is do you react to something you wanna do or a fear you wanna face like Quint? Look deep inside of you. What's the real reason? What's the... Once again, I'm gonna say that. What's the real reason why you're not doing something or facing something? And then we have Hooper. Hooper [00:15:00] is a s- scientist. He studies sharks.
He's from the Oceanographic Institute. He's the smart college kid kind of thing, and he's there to first just help figure out what killed the girl and what kinda shark it is and all of that. And then he really gets pulled into it, 'cause at first he's just gonna be there for a day, but then he stays because he realizes it's a great white shark.
And For Hooper, his reasonings, it's mainly him just going after what he really wants to figure out, and he wants to know, and he wants to see it, and he wants to be part of catching it and killing it. [00:16:00] Because he is basically the brains behind all of it really, and he's the one who... I mean, they all think on their feet and everything.
Uh, I'm not saying that he, he's the only one who does this, but he really puts thought into everything he does, and he doesn't react in that emotional way that the other two do when they're on the boat, for instance. Uh, and he's really the voice of reason, and he is also the confirmation of what this shark is that Brody needed to move things forward.
Hooper is a huge, huge part of the story because if they didn't have him saying, "This is what this is. This wasn't a boating accident. What are you people doing?" If he wasn't there, then [00:17:00] it just wouldn't have moved forward in the first place. So he really is the voice of reason and the one m- moving everything.
So his why, though, is very different. The why for him to go out there on the boat and go after that great white is very much just m- all thinking, all mental, all, "Well, I just want to know this. I've just got to know this and be part of this, and how often in my life do I get to go after a great white," right?
All right, so how big is your, your obstacle and your fear? Is it something that you are in your head about and your why is, "Oh, I am going to f- I have to face this because I have just got to know. I've gotta know the answer to this. I have got to figure [00:18:00] this out. I want to figure this out, and if I don't, I am really gonna regret this.
If I don't go after that great white, that fear, if I don't kill it, then I will never know. I will never know the experience of going through that." I will never know what it is like to see that fear, to kill that fear, to experience what happens afterwards
So are you a Hooper? Is what it is you need to conquer and need to get through and need to do, are you telling yourself or do you need to tell yourself, "I have got to do that"? Once again, like writing a book. I just got to say I [00:19:00] did that. I finished it. I published it. And maybe you don't even need to publish it.
Doesn't matter. But do you need n- do you need to say to yourself, "I gotta be like Hooper and I just have got to see this through"? And I... And you're also maybe... Once again, I'll just bring up the book, but whatever it is that you're thinking of for yourself It, you're also maybe the expert. May- maybe you can write this book because you already know everything you wanna write.
You are smart, and you know what you're doing. You know how to drive the boat. You know how to go into the cage. You know what you're doing. You know how to stay underwater in your scuba gear and get yourself back to shore. [00:20:00] You have everything you need. You have the tools, and you just need to see it through.
So is Hooper's way of dealing with it the way that you need to deal with it? And really, let's be real, Brody, Quint, and Hooper, all of us, some have a little bit of that in everything we need to decide, right? Every fear we need to face. There's a little bit of everything. But maybe the way I described one of them will actually work better for you.
Maybe you're in your head thinking a certain way about something, and you're letting all the obstacles stop you. So therefore, if you maybe switch over to how you're thinking about it and how you're addressing what it is you need to face, maybe you need to move from a Brody [00:21:00] to a Quint. You're realizing there's some underlying, core stuff going on, some anger that's really fueling it, but it's not really You know, that you're not really realizing that that's the reason.
Or maybe you're, you are dealing with it like a Quint, and you're just surface level letting it just, like, drive you and, eat at you, and you really wanna get this done, but yet it's really actually stopping you, and you're letting that fear actually eat you instead. You are not conquering the great white.
It is eating you instead. So what is it inside of you that you may need to fear? So maybe you need to... Maybe you're being like a Quint and it's eating you, and you need to be like a Hooper Either way, it really made me think about everything that I'm going through in my own life and everything that I'm trying to [00:22:00] decide and do and how I'm gonna do it.
I have to tell you, I feel like a Brody right now with a certain obstacle that I feel like it's, it's growing into a blue whale instead of a great white, and I need to not make it so huge. I've gotta stop the obstacles coming in my way and create the situation for myself of just going out there and doing it, and not letting things get in my way.
And I'm in my own way, so I mean, I'm Brody and I'm the mayor, for instance. So that's where I am right now, just to put it into context as to why I even thought of this while I was watching the movie. And I suggest going and watching the movie. If you haven't seen it in a while, [00:23:00] this is the perfect time to do it.
Even for those of you not in the US, this is the perfect time to do it. So I hope this just helps put any kind of decision-making skills or facing a fear into a fun perspective for you. And yeah, so that's it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I hope you are doing well, and I will talk to you in the next episode.
Have a great day. Bye.
