You Can't Fly Into Flying

“He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche.

http://www.postcardsfromapeacefuldivorce.com/wp-content/ uploads/2010/08/flying-woman.jpg

Flying, soaring, growing, and thriving, all things that teachers, parents, and principals talk about these days. Flying, something that isn’t that easy to achieve and something that not everyone will achieve. “You can’t fly into flying”, is what really stood out to me in  Friedrich’s quote, and made me ruminate. Thinking about the quote showed above, what do you think? Is flying and soaring all that is easy? Or can you only fly once you’ve tried and worked towards it? If you never have the patience, persistence, or perseverance to do something then how will you fly?

Friedrich Nietzsche, German poet, philologist, and philosopher, is right. If you haven’t walked. If you haven’t ran. Or if you haven’t danced. You haven’t flown.  

http://drprem.drpremandassocia.netdna-cdn.com/travel/wp-content /uploads/sites/6/2013/08/parks1.jpg

When I was little I remember the time in Africa when I was 6 and wanted to soar through the sky. The only problem was that I was scared of heights. So before I could ascend into the sky like a baby bird taking it’s first flight, I knew that I needed to push myself. So I decided to climb one of the big oakwood trees in Cape Town, South Africa. I started walking slowly, then my pace picked up, running towards the tree. Finally a small 6 year old girl faced the big, bad, bulky oakwood tree. My feet carried me up the tree climbing higher and higher, further and further away from the ground. As I got closer and closer to the top of the tree I was even more terrified with every movement, but I knew that if I wanted to fly I would have to face this. Finally, I reached the top of the tree, so proud of myself, I stood up and declared myself the queen of Cape Town. Then wanting to pursue my dream of flying, I jumped off the thick branch and flew for only a couple of seconds before I reached the comforting arms of my dad.

While flying for those couple of seconds I felt free and wild. I knew that I could do ANYTHING that I set my mind to. I knew that if I wanted to be someone who people looked up to, who people could trust, and who had lots of integrity, I could. I knew that if I wanted to be smart, perform well on stage, and make the right choices, I could. It all can happen if you never give up and be patient.

http://authorbrianbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/thumbnail-aspx2.jpeg

Overall, after climbing that tree in South Africa I learned that greatness isn’t achieved by sitting at home and thinking about all the things you could do. Greatness is achieved by stepping outside your comfort zone and working hard towards your goal. You should never be too cocky to think that you can do anything without practice or determination. The best chess players play everyday, the best soccer players practice everyday, and the best dancers dance everyday. The unbeatable, unexcelled, and unexampled people started off like you and me, with a dream and passion that carried them to greatness, letting them fly.