Most of you have probably heard the ancient Greek story of Icarus. If you haven’t heard of it, here’s a quick summary: A father gives his son, Icarus, wings made of wax and feathers. He warns him about flying too close to the sun because it will cause the wings to melt. Icarus ignores his father’s warning, flies too high, the wings melt and he falls into the sea where he drowns. Moral of the story, don’t fly to close to the sun.
It’s a classic tale that exists to remind us that we should be careful of how much we push our limits because we may end up hurting ourselves in the long run. However, there is a telling and important detail that many people forget to mention. Over the years everyone focuses on the instruction to not fly too high because that was what led to Icarus’ ultimate demise.
However, many tellers of the story forget to mention that his father also told him not to fly too low. Mainly because the dampness of the sea would cause his wings to fall apart. And I believe we are at a time when the secondary message of not sinking too low is what we need to think about most.
It can be so tempting to fly low and “just get by”. To go with what’s comfortable. To stick with what makes us look good. To not push ourselves. But we all know that this course of action can be just as fatal, if not more so than pushing yourself beyond your limits. If anything we should be entirely ignoring the idea of a ceiling in life, and instead, thinking about how to avoid missing out on our potential.
There are few worse fates than looking back on life and knowing full well that we could have done more and been more. When you fly too high at least you got a chance to see how far you could go. Whereas when you fly too low, you hardly ever get off the ground. You end up playing it safe as a means of protecting yourself from the long fall down to the sea.
But guess what? You can’t swim either way, so you drown no matter what.
Why not see how high you can go? Or why not just build a jetpack and blow right past the sun? Who says you have to listen to a 2,000-year-old story anyways?
Harnessing Your Future Hell
We often use our goals and vision for our peak potential as motivation to push us through difficult tasks. But I say we do just the opposite. Look at what your life will look like if you do nothing. What can become of you if you stay put in one place? What happens if you keep going down further and further towards hell on earth? Create a vision of aiming too low and work your absolute hardest to avoid that fate.
Aim high, and never forget the fate that waits for you if you fly too low.
– Derek
. . .
One of the best ways I know for avoiding the error of flying too low has been the practice of journaling. By taking the time each morning to evaluate and plan what the day is going to look like, and then reviewing what happened in the evening, I am avoiding one of the most common errors a human being can make. I am avoiding the mistake of complacency. Through making this a daily habit I ensure that each of my 24 hours is directed towards a specific goal that ultimately aligns with my core values.
If you are looking to take on the other piece of advise that Icarus was given by his father, then today is the day you start journaling. Or at the very least begin to think about how you can avoid the trap of getting comfortable and complacent.
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