A friend once told me sardines are not a specific species of fish. He declared that sardines are just small fish, and the name can be applied to multiple species.

He’s an intelligent guy, so I took his word for it. I later found that over 20 species of fish are eaten as sardines.

I don’t remember how sardines swam into our conversation at the time. Maybe, it resulted from one of us using the phrase, “packed like sardines.” This phrase is often used to describe items stuffed tightly into a space. The way sardines are packaged. A clown car is a good example. There are a lot of big red shoes stuffed in those tiny cars.

I find the plight of these small fish interesting. Poor helpless little fish start as a specific species, are captured, killed, and cast into a new, fictitious species. Their identity is stolen. They were phished. (Sorry, I had to go there). Then, they are crammed into a can and covered in oil.

While this is a fishy deal for the sardines, I think the circumstances have possibilities as a metaphor for personal development and goals for humans.

I am thinking of writing a book titled “Stop being a sardine! How to swim out of the can and be the fish you were meant to be.”

Like the small fish, we become captured. Captured by careers, relationships, and life circumstances that restrict us and eventually stuff us into a tiny can. Once we are in there, it is difficult to swim out while covered in the thick oil of our personal baggage and fear.

It is difficult for many of us to maintain our identity. We allow others to displace who we are or displace ourselves through our own bad decisions. We become mixed in with all the other little fish and lose the ability to swim independently and purposefully, maneuvering as we did before capture.

To be the fish we were meant to be, we must act, taking steps that, in some cases, require significant life changes.

This starts with staying out of the net. Don’t become tangled in the turmoil, negativity, and poor habits. Pick and choose your decisions and actions carefully. Follow a strong positive current and associate with others who have a strong positive current.

This step alone can keep us out of a can, with slimy companions who smell like fish.

If we have already been snared and canned, we must break free. The problem here is many of us don’t know where to start. This is where I recommend another thing I learned from the friend who filled me in on the name sardine. To break free, we must ask ourselves three questions.

What is wrong? Why is it that way? What am I going to do about it?

Defining the problem is the starting point. To paraphrase Dr. Robert Schuller, “By beginning, you are half-finished.”

Once the problem has been defined, the causes of the problem must be determined. This is often the most challenging step. The step is difficult because of the human tendency to place blame and project failures onto others. We must accept our role and responsibility in the evolution of the problem.

If others are at fault, we cannot stop swimming and wait for them to apologize, correct their mistakes, or make amends for willingly causing harm. We must swim forward. The true intent of determining the root causes of the problem is to set the foundation for developing solutions and taking action.

Action may be solely up to us, require the help of others involved, or necessitate the services of additional parties. If success requires the assistance of others, we cannot be shy about asking for help.

In the Disney movie Finding Nemo, there is a scene where fish caught in a net all swam in formation to break the net. This was an excellent example of how problems can be solved successfully through group effort.

Those are the basics of the book. Of course, the book will have to include stories and examples of each principle discussed. Stories of sardines who became big fish from small cans. Like a little-known chiropractic sardine who became a columnist for a newspaper in a midwestern college town.

The one thing the book will not include is a recommendation to eat sardines. They are disgusting. But I do at least feel sorry for them.

Dr. Jeff Miller is a doctor of chiropractic at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute and the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia.