What If Icarus Picked Himself Up After the Fall?

A few days ago, I wrote about how Icarus must have had a great view as he plummeted to his death.

Macabre perhaps, but it got me thinking.

After several weeks of being on the grind to see some important projects through, I spent the last two days taking my meetings sick on the couch. I’ve got loads of momentum right now; I’m not searching for sympathy. It was instructive because I wasn’t managing my energy sustainably; I was burning too hot without taking proper time for renewal.

The reason for my hubris now seems abundantly clear.

While I’d made progress in some areas, I’d begun to make excuses in others. I started skipping workouts in favor of one more call, one more email, and one more day of fast food. Two years ago, almost to the day, I found myself at a dangerously unhealthy crossroads and only barely managed to escape the Wilderness.

And I’ll be damned to squander that victory over the darkest aspects of myself.

It goes without saying, but we are largely the sum of our choices. This agency should embolden us and empower us to take on the most audacious of goals. Unfortunately, we are captive to a finite amount of willpower and discipline.

So how do we close the gap between the ideal reality we seek and the actual reality we inhabit?

We kill the excuses. We kill the complaining. And we get to work. Don’t forfeit your hard-fought gains; remember what you had to do to taste that progress.

Then get hungry for more.