Interview with Miroslav Marek, founder of the goldfish.help project

If I ask you who Miroslav Marek is, what would you tell me about yourself?

Well, he must be the Father, the loving father, the happy father of the family. Basically, it’s what I’m living with and what captures me the most.

Can you say more about yourself? Maybe from privacy or your childhood or where you grew up or something about business.

Definitely yes, I owe the family to who I am when I am. My father and mother grew up in more modest circumstances and raised us as well – politely, modestly, but we never missed anything. I try not to forget who we are, where we are from. I am the youngest of 4 sons. So I’m a Benjamin. I had a very nice childhood, I like to remember that. I’m a little sorry that today’s kids are missing out on what we experienced 30 years ago.

I have very pleasant memories of my childhood, which I often remember especially now as my father and the head of the family, and I believe that I can also transform them into our upbringing.

Now I knew that yes, this path would be right.

As for business, how does one get from business to philanthropy?

After school, I quickly found out that I could do things on my own and even better than someone who gave them to me at work. I was trying something of my own!

Such the first small business started in its own wine shop, followed by the cultivation of fast-growing trees through the kitchen waste business, etc.

But in your own business, it is seldom settled on roses, and of course you will encounter other pitfalls of this “business” life. What about everyone…

It exhausted me, both mentally and physically. I’ve found that even this isn’t a cup of my coffee. And so the fundamental decisions came, to start doing things differently and, most importantly, to change mindsets. I got, not philanthropy, even though I know the word, I know what it means but I don’t consider myself a philanthropist, but an altruist.

I said goodbye to the feeling of “success” and the accumulation of numbers on the account. For me, the way to have peace of mind and feel good is altruism.

You experienced success in business, so that you could decide in 35. years of life to be an altruist?

Success in business in terms of growing finances or in the form of acquiring material goods, yes, I have experienced that. Maybe I have what I wanted and I can even say that I have more than I wanted.

But success in this form was not enough for me, or did not satisfy me. And so, as I mentioned, I started to do my job differently.

Since I already have a surplus, I will try to turn it all around and try to give it to people sooner. Soon there was a feeling and success in the form of inner satisfaction. And now I knew that yes, this path would be right.

You will find that you are successful, but where is the happiness?

That’s when you came to the senses of starting a non-profit organization?

Yes, as I said, the cross-section of the overall development of business life and my search for meaningful work directed me, albeit unknowingly, to this goal. Gradually, the feeling of leaving something more than the numbers on the account and making others happy began to prevail on the imaginary scales.

That’s where it started to break.

And gradually I stopped following the path of material life and engaged in activities that bring results that the eyes do not see but the heart feels.

What is the difference between success and happiness? How are you now?

Success is a trend nowadays. Many see him in presenting himself with a new car and other goods. I got tired of it very quickly and found it very fleeting.

You will find that you are successful, but where is the happiness?

You stop perceiving those nice daily little things, like the sun rising, the changing seasons, a bird singing to you on the way in the park. One is still somewhere else with thoughts. If you mistake success for the perception of everyday beauty of life, you will lose financial gains and assets will stop growing, but at the same time you will discover something new in yourself.

Fortunately, I can perceive these details and that is my success.

We mentioned a non-profit organization, altruism, philanthropy, try to tell us more about your project.

The great idea is to connect people who want to help with people who need help. For example, connecting people on opposite sides of society, or if we find ourselves in the efforts of others and want to support them, there are countless.

The project aims to reach those people who want to experience the feeling of becoming useful to others. Let’s try to ask the question the night before bed: What did I do for another today?

Love and Gratitude are the pillars on which this project is based.

Now a little off topic. Do you have a favorite book that you would like to return to, or would you recommend it to someone?

I am a very weak reader. I don’t read a few books, I buy a few of them, but when I catch one in my hand, it’s mostly on the subject of nature.

It was written by people who have highly developed sensations that I talked about.

A person who begins to perceive nature, begins to understand it, finds that it is actually perfect, and we do not need to be inspired somewhere by extensive scientific studies on Mars, but we actually have everything close to each other.

Last time I read, for example, the book “The Mysterious and Healing Power of Water” by Viktor Schauberger. He did not look at water as H2O or as a fluid of daily consumption. He talks about what is hidden behind her, what he has observed and what can be proved with her. How important this element is to us is amazing.

Our Earth is an amazing ecosystem through which we can inspire and use this information for the good of us all without having to leave a trigger.

Is there anything you have bought in the last few days or months worth around € 100, something that has made you very happy and you are still happy with it?

That’s enough for the last few days. I actually buy what I’m happy with almost every day and it’s food. When I buy food that is grown or made from a person who has grown it with love or love, it is always felt from this product. I am happy to spend money on such products and it will come back to me in the joy of great taste. I wish there were more and more such products and they formed the basis of our menus.

Is there any life failure that has led you to the path you are taking now?

We learn from our own mistakes. There were definitely several of them with me. I don’t consider my mistakes to be a failure, because if you realize them, it pushes you further. Everyone will get through this. If he fails and then does not repeat his mistake, he is really wise.

What is your best investment, Mr. Marek? NIt must be financial, but it can be left to you.

I think my best investment is my thoughts. Because it costs nothing and what they bring me is priceless.

Do you have a ritual for that? Do you find a place to calm down or are you rather looking for an open space, nature and where do you plan or how do you have it?

It’s interesting that the most important ideas that come to mind I can’t control, I can’t somehow graduate by deliberately finding myself somewhere, creating an atmosphere and zinc – the idea has arrived.

It’s always spontaneous. That’s great. I often devote myself to a completely new business or idea with such enthusiasm that it surprises me. Even though I didn’t even think about such an idea a month ago.

I have no customs or rituals. So far, I’m lucky that the ideas come on their own.

You mentioned the word customs. Do you have any absurd habits?

If I have them, I don’t know about them. It’s part of my SELF that comes naturally to me, but I think if you asked my loved ones, something would definitely be found.

Do you have any advice for people that you would recommend not ignoring?

Well, as a young person, I dealt with things with a hot head, and I didn’t notice the advice that was coming, resp. I rejected them with the words, “What can you know about that?” or “you are older” or “there was a different time then” and so on…

I would rather advise you to listen to advice, take the really valuable from them, as long as the advice is directed correctly and really from the heart. Be sure to at least listen to them. Strain them through our imaginary sieve so that we don’t regret not listening to them then. One day we will want to give advice.

In summary, I recommend that you listen to the advice rather than ignore it.

What do you do, Mr. Marek, when you are overwhelmed or unfocused? How does this affect you?

When I am overwhelmed with thoughts, for example, or I have some faith in various information in my head, I lose sight of my surroundings a bit. When I drive in a car, we suddenly find ourselves somewhere and I don’t even know how I actually got there. When it’s at home, someone talks to me and I either don’t answer at all or I answer in half a minute, which is usually too late. (laughter)

When did you meet a person in the right place?

This is a very good question, because I meet them almost every day since I opened my eyes. For example, yesterday I met a man in the right place, namely a grocery salesman or a chimney sweep who swept our chimney. Watching these people at work was amazing. The love and determination with which they do their work can be seen in them. They let you feel it and thus transfer their positive energy to you as well. I think people are in the right place. We need to meet them. We just can’t ignore them.