Icarus was stuck on a deserted island with his father, Daedlus. Daedlus was a great inventor of his time. There was absolutely no one, who could match him in his creativity and ability to think.

Many days passed. The father-son duo was now desperate to escape the island.

Even in this time of uncertainty, Daedlus never let his curious eyes and mind rest. He would regularly observe the motion of birds flying above. While flying, their feathers would fall on the ground. Suddenly, the genius inside Daedlus came alive. He started collecting as many feathers as he could manage.

Daedlus was also a great craftsman. He began moulding the feathers into wings. Soon, he had two pairs of wings ready. Daedlus used candle wax to attach those wings to the back of their own bodies.

It was time to escape the island. Both Icarus and Daedlus climbed a tree and were ready to take flight:

Daedalus gave the following instructions to Icarus:

‘ Don’t fly too high, the wax will melt and you’ll die.’

Icarus believed in adventure. He believed in making the most of the opportunity. He chose to fly high. Not because he was arrogant, but because he was adventurous and ambitious.

So, Icarus disobeyed and died.

Icarus was a fool. Isn’t it?

Here’s the twist: This was just a part of the instruction.

Here’s the complete instruction from Daedlus:

‘ Don’t fly too high, the wax will melt and you’ll die. But more importantly, do not fly too low. The water and mist will weigh down your wings and you’ll surely perish.’

Now, here’s the question we need to ask ourselves:

How many times in life do we fear to fly high?

We fear that things may go wrong, fate might turn against us, and we might die!

This fear keeps us down from trying new things. Keeps us away from our dreams. We choose to be stuck in our comfort zone. And hence, we aim lower.

Well the fact is, even then, we die. This time with the weights of lost opportunities and regrets.

Regret for not having reached our potential. Regret for not going after our dreams. Regret of never knowing our limits, because we never tried.

So what’s the solution?

You might say:

” Ronit, why not fly in the middle somewhere? This way we’ll be safe and reach our destination as well.”

My question:

Why choose mediocrity? Sure it is safe and sounds good. That’s where everyone wants to be. Comfort feels good.

But will mediocrity help you achieve your goals?

Do you want that for your life?

Here’s a quote from Hunter Thompson that put things into perspective for me:

‘ Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

So, how about flying close to the sun instead?

🚀✊