In Seth Godin's book The Icarus Deception, he uses the myth of Icarus as an analogy for moving beyond the status quo. To become an artist and partake of the communication currency.
But something Seth said about the myth struck me.
One of the most interesting things about the myth of Icarus is something that gets left out.
We all know that Icarus' father Daedalus told him not to fly too close to the sun. Because the wax holding the feathers of the wings Daedalus made would melt.
And sure enough, Icarus flies too high and the wax melts. Icarus plummets to his death.
But there was another piece of advice that gets left out in most modern re-tellings of the story…
Daedalus also told Icarus not to fly too low. Because the moisture would weigh down the wings and cause him to plummet into the sea.
So, the advice isn't don't fly too high or you'll get burned.
It's don't fly too high and don't fly too low.
It's easy to know what goals might be beyond our capabilities.
But how often do we aim too low?
How often do we settle?
How often to we play well under our skill level or ability?
Because it feels safe.
Unfortunately, the safety is often an illusion.
It might be good to ask yourself every now and then: Am I flying too low?
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