POSITIVE SELF-TALK
 

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE

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Imagine an eagle trying to fly while its legs are tied to a five hundred pound weight.  No matter how hard it flaps its wings, it can not leave the ground.   Eagles are not meant to carry burdens, and neither are you.

I once read an account of how someone captured a seabird using pebbles and bread dough.  The person put heavy pebbles inside wads of bread dough, and then tossed them to a bird which swallowed them whole.  The bird’s weight progressively increased until it was too heavy to fly.  It would never soar again until it eliminated the pebbles.  It lost its ability to fly one mouthful at a time.

That is exactly the way negative thoughts keep me from soaring.  I ingest them one at a time until the burden grows so heavy that I can no longer get off the ground.  Negative thoughts keep me grounded until I eliminate them.

Each negative thought weighs a psychological ton and carrying around a load of negativity is an unbearable burden.  God gave me the heart and wings of an eagle.  When I see an eagle in flight, I see my life as it was meant to be.  I will not allow myself to be grounded by the dead weight of negativity and limitations.  I will fly like an eagle.
 

I've never seen a timid eagle.  It's not in their nature.  When eagles act, they act as if they cannot fail.

I want to be more like eagles.  When I decide to move forward, I want to move decisively.

Moving toward a goal in a tentative manner doesn't make sense.  If I want to pursue a goal, I must turn my back on doubt and act as if I cannot fail. 

When I set sail across the Pacific Ocean, I was committed.  I had more than three thousand miles of downwind sailing ahead, and it would require twenty-one days to travel from the Galapagos Islands to French Polynesia.  Once I got underway, there was no turning back.

My modus operandi is straightforward.  Once the decision is made and the dye is cast, it's time to act resolutely and fearlessly.  It's time to act as if I cannot fail.

When I was in the Navy, one of my friends had the nickname "The Phantom".  He was always punctual and performed his duties in a professional manner, but at all other times, like a submarine, he ran silent and deep.  If you wanted to find The Phantom, all you had to do was go to the marina, because in every spare moment, he was there working on his dreams. (He was preparing his sailboat for a four year trip around the world)  He definitely wasn't a flag waver attracting attention to himself.  Most of the time he was in stealth mode doing exactly what he wanted.

It's amazing how much you can accomplish when you run silent and deep.  The Phantom knew that he lived in a wing clipping world, and as long as he kept his mouth shut and didn't make waves, the Wing Clippers would pass him by.  They were too busy clipping the wings of everyone who worshiped at the altar of permission.

If you asked The Phantom for advice, here is what he would say.  "Keep your mouth shut, and run silent and deep.  Become the invisible man who gets the job done and never asks for permission."

I've followed his advice for many years and discovered that he was spot on.  I rarely ask for permission, and I do my utmost to run silent and deep.  I'm living proof that it's possible to live your dreams in a wing clipping world.