We're Still Here

There is a band out of Minnesota called The Hold Steady that released a record last year called "Stay Positive". Frequently lauded as a band that speaks truth of a generation and also keeps authenticity of the guitar, bass, drums setup of rock music, their lyrics are always something to examine. The title track off that record speaks well to us now in 2009 as we all enter a new phase in history.

"cause its one thing to start it with a positive jam
and its another thing to see it all through
and we couldn't of even done this if it wasn't for you
we gotta stay positive"

The chorus of "We gotta stay positive" is something we all remind ourselves of here at the fish market during the winter months. After the ruckus of the holiday shipping season, some of us take vacations, we cut down our hours, and the 12 hour days can become a mind game as we stand in the cold adjusting to the new speed of our work day.

What we at Pike Place Fish have always done is take that next step and "see it all through" because we really don't want to be ordinary. We each individually must make a profound relationship with the way things are and create possibilities from the present. When we get stuck on things like weather, the amount of people in the market, the competition, whatever it may be.......we've taken ourselves out of our own game.

Economic times are what they are and the news can be downright depressing. What happens though is the true, honest and authentic organizations will emerge from this even stronger. These times are but an opportunity to be the safe, fun environment of energy and enthusiasm that we stand for. We take a stand for ourselves to inspire others...and sell great fish!

An NPR affiliate and college, public radio station in Colorado, KRCC, had their pledge drive fall right at the beginning of this recent downturn and they feared the worst. Everyone at that station had to make a choice that they wouldn't buy into it. They not only hit their goal but their station manager actually made them "slow down" so they could continue their pledge drive programming.
Michael Franti is a musician who started out fired up about social injustice and political corruption. After a series of records expressing that, he found himself nowhere different from where he started and was just as mad. He made a choice to celebrate humanity and what's possible and began a world movement with the joy of gathering for peace and understanding across country borders. He now has documentaries about his mission for peace in Iraq, Gaza and all over the world.

For us, we're not starting radio stations, traveling to Palestine or writing songs about positivity, but we are generating for who we want to be in 2009. Like the country as a whole, we can't continue our old ways. We cleaned house and have the best crew we've ever had. We took a stand for better fish (and we got wild king salmon and fresh crabs everyday in January!). What we are doing though is generating a new video (one that's ours, not Charthouse Learnings). We have new avenues for discussion with people in Europe about our technology of Being from Bizfutures. We are developing our charity work with People for the Puget Sound and the Jacob Greene Foundation.

We want this world to be better and now that we've taken that stand, we are it and we want our actions to follow. More details about these things will be in the future, but know that that the wheels are turning and we will always STAY POSITIVE!