What has happened to all your joy?

Galatians 4:15, NIV (1978)

 

A gentleman by the name of John Christensen realized that there was a problem in the workplace that is common to all men. It seems like we all fall into a rut at times when our work is a sheer drudgery, so much so that we hate to even go to work, we hate every minute of our workday, and then we count those minutes until the clock tells us we can go home. Of course, such an attitude not only affects us, it also spills over to everyone around us. It makes for angry co-workers, angry bosses, and angry customers. So, what can we do?

 

This was the very problem that John Christensen set out to solve. He found the solution in, of all places, the Pike Place Fish Market! For those of you who aren't familiar with this particular business, Pike Place is a huge outdoor and indoor mall area in Seattle, Washington that sells everything from food to flowers. It's main claims to fame are the Starbuck's original coffee shop and the Pike Place Fish Market. As most of you might suspect, Seattle is famous for its fresh seafood and its many fish markets. However, there is one fish market that stands out from the crowd, and that is the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market.

 

But why does it stand out and why is it "world-famous"?  

 

This is the very thing that John Christensen set out to find out, and what he discovered led to an entirely new (though actually as old as business itself) method of doing business. He noticed one day that the people who worked in this fish market were not at all like most folks whose work is both repetitive and physically demanding. Instead of merely "slogging" through their workday, these men actually seemed to be having fun. They would literally throw fish across the shop to one another with phrases like, "One fish flying off to Boston", and "Five crabs flying off to Paris". The phrase would be repeated in chorus by the other workers (and often customers) and the atmosphere was, in a word, fun! He noticed that when these men were not actually involved in a specific task that their eyes were scanning the crowd seeking someone who looked like they were in need of help. He also noticed that their interactions with these customers seemed absolutely sincere as they sought to help the customer get what they wanted, instead of selling them something that they might not need.

 

From all this, John came up with a four-step solution to the typical workplace malaise. Here in a nutshell are these four items:

 

First: Choose your attitude! Most people do not have the luxury of choosing their "dream job" and as a result are often less than enthusiastic about their work. As mentioned before, attitude is contagious and has a way of impacting everybody around you. In other words, if you come to work mad, then you are going to influence everyone around you to become angry as well. If you are bored and sleepwalking through your work, don't be surprised if those you work with reflect that pitiful state of mind. The obvious question is how can we get excited about work that we do not particularly enjoy?

 

That's where the second step comes in: Have fun! The people at Pike Place Fish Market had a job that many would consider dull, repetitive and hard. These men made it fun. They began to literally throw the fish to one another to get it from point A to point B. It was not done in a chaotic or unsanitary manner, however. It was done in a thoughtful and highly coordinated manner that was not only fun for the workers but also entertaining to their customers. Sometimes they would even throw the fish to a particularly adventurous customer!

 

This is where the third step of their philosophy comes in: Make their day! People who are coming to a fish market are typically just looking to shop in a way that I once heard an economics professor describe as the "bank robbery method". You're in, you're out, and no one gets hurt! Shopping for fish is usually just as monotonous as working at a fish market, but not at Pike Place. As previously mentioned, the Pike Place Fish Market is world famous. And it is interesting to note that this did not happen by accident. When the store was just another fish market that had nothing that would cause one to think it was any different from the hundreds of other fish places in this port city, the owner and workers set out to change that. They literally set out to make their place world famous and that is exactly what happened. They did so by not only providing a fun work environment for the workers but intentionally set out to make the customer's day by providing a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. 

 

And this brings us to the fourth step: Be present! By that, the workers meant that they were not on their cell phones or goofing off when their job did not demand their immediate attention. Instead, when not involved in a specific task, they began to scan the crowd to see who might be in need of help. They also looked for people who might not actually be buying something that day, but they sought to converse with everyone around them. They would cheerfully interact with them, from friendly greetings to polite questions that would make the people feel valued, respected and important. These were not people who "sleepwalked" through their day; rather, they were people who were full of zest, joy, and compassion.

 

When John Christensen got finished analyzing the Pike Place Fish Market, he realized that he had hit upon something that would be useful to every type of business. He made a series of training videos on his discovery, co-authored a book, "Fish!" and went around the nation sharing his findings with interested businesses that were seeking to become "World-Famous" in their own rights.

 

Now, here is the question for us: Would such a method make a difference in our lives? Not just in your business, but in even more important things such as with your family and with the Lord's church? You see, each one of us struggles in our own relationships, in our own situations, and in just about every aspect of our own lives. We may have lost touch with our family. We may have lost that righteous fervor within the church. We may think we are stuck in dead-end jobs that we have to go to in order to pay our bills, but that deep down we literally hate. Maybe it's your school, perhaps it's with your friends - it really doesn't matter what the specific area is, as long as that area is important to you.

 

The cold, hard fact is that we may not be able to choose our specific situation, but we can choose our attitude! We can then stop waiting for those around us to change and change ourselves by beginning to have fun again, by looking to help make other's day, and by being present to the point that we actually become aware of the needs of others. 

 

If you, like Paul, have been wondering what has happened to your joy, then do something about it. I think that this four-step method that John Christenson came across has the potential to help us all. After all, when you really think about it, it has its roots in one of the most basic and important Scriptural principles found in all of God's word. It goes like this:

 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24, NIV (1978)