The Salmon & The Jellyfish.

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True story. Cape Town, South Africa. 2018.

‘There are two kinds of people…’ Frank said.

‘On the one side there’s the Jellyfish, a beautiful creature, floating wherever the current of the ocean takes it.’

I nodded, although I didn’t have a clue of the message that was about to hit me.

‘On the other side there’s the Salmon. The Salmon gets born in a place and it is the purpose of the Salmon to get out there, grow up, find a mate, and return back to its place of birth to procreate.’

Frank looked for something on his phone.

‘Now, a Salmon will do everything in its power to get back to its place of birth, to fulfill its purpose. It would swim upstream if it has to. It will confront the bears that try to eat it. Now when you think of a Salmon, you’re probably thinking of it swimming in the ocean and rivers, right?’

I nodded.

‘Do you think a Salmon would limit itself to water if that meant it couldn’t fulfill its purpose?’

Before I could answer, he showed me this video:

‘A Salmon,’ Frank continued, ‘would do anything to fulfill its purpose.’

The question he left for me to answer was… in this life, are you a Jellyfish or a Salmon?


I used to be a Jellyfish. Then I pushed myself to become a Salmon with great effort.

It got me more than I’d ever dreamed of… but then I got comfortable. I had conquered most of my demons, I accomplished the goals I set for myself, and it made me a Jellyfish once again.

No more. With Frank’s help I set myself new goals. 

More challenging, more audacious.

I will go further. I will face the bears.

I will be a Salmon and I will do everything I can to keep that spirit up until the day comes my legs can’t carry me any longer.

Now my question for you is: what are you? Are you happy to float with the currents, or were you put on this Earth to achieve something greater?

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About the author

Wesley van der Hoop

Dutchman living in The Bahamas. I get excited about digital marketing, writing, traveling, surfing and learning new things.

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