Not only can eagles see things clearly from great distances, but due to their positioning, they have a completely different perspective than do land animals. Our perspective must be clear and from the right angle.
Characteristic 1 – Long Range
There was a young lad who loved to draw. Everywhere he went he carried his pencil and paper and drew whatever caught his fancy. One day, an elderly gentleman asked him to draw a picture of a horse. When he had finished his drawing, the man gave him a dollar. The young lad was greatly encouraged and in a few more years, landed a job at a Kansas City newspaper as a cartoonist. He was very pleased with himself, but the editor called him into his office one day and gave him some unsolicited career counseling, suggesting he find another line of work where he would have a chance to succeed. “After all,” the editor remarked, “you don’t have any talent.”
The young man chose to continue his cartoon career and eventually came up with an idea that would require a substantial investment. He applied for a loan at three hundred and two different places, but none thought he had the talent to pull it off nor a strong enough idea to ensure a payback of the loan, but he kept on with his dream. He was thinking long-range. Then finally a bank agreed to loan, and Walt saw his dream of Disneyland come to pass. And the editor who discouraged Walt from pursuing his destiny, nobody even remembers his name.
Characteristics 2 – Be focused
There is tremendous power in being focused and remarkable lack of power by being slightly out of focus. When I was young, I used to sit in the summer sun near an ant hill with a magnifying glass. When the ants would come and go, I would try to focus the sun’s ray in a highly focused beam of light directly on an ant. If I was slightly out of focus, the ants didn’t seem to notice the extra light or heat, but if I was perfectly focused on them with the light, they would be zapped in an instant and turn into a little puff of smoke.
I learned that by being highly focused on an objective, I could achieve amazing results. To get certain projects done, I sometimes shut out everything else and focus only on the task at hand. In sales, you can use this principle by focusing blocks of time on specific sales related activities, such as prospecting, writing proposals, returning calls, etc.
Characteristics 3 – Be long-term
We tend to think of a five-year plan as long-term, but it isn’t. I heard of an old church in Europe that was built with magnificent beams from rare old trees. They had estimated the beams would need replacing in about five hundred years, so they planted a grove of the same kind of trees to be ready for harvest in another five hundred years. When it came time to replace the beams in the early 1900s, someone found an old set of plans with hand-written notes revealing the whereabouts of the ancient grove of trees. Sure enough, when they went into the forest, they found the trees and were able to replace the old beams.
When you think about your career, think past the next five years and think about your legacy and your children’s children. It will inspire something in you.
Characteristics 4 – Rise above the storm
Eagles often fly into a storm to catch and ride the strong winds up until they are well above the storm. They use the turbulence to propel them above their circumstances. There’s no getting around the fact that life will deal you some storms.
One successful boat builder said, “I build all my boats for a storm.” Expect he storm, prepare for the storm, and when it comes, ride the turbulence to a higher place in God. I believe every adversity comes with an equal or greater opportunity. They are in fact joined at the hip. You can’t avoid adversity, so embrace the opportunity it brings with it. Discover the opportunity if you have the courage to look for it.
Characteristics 5 – Be self-renewing
Eagles have a mid-life crisis of sorts. They get a calcium deposit built up on their beaks and have to chip off the deposits by smacking their beaks against rocks. During that time, they go through a molting process and something close to depression as they temporarily lose their luster for life. After they go through this change, their strength is renewed and they soar again. We all go through times when we lose some of our luster for living. We must learn how to be self-renewing. Break off your old limiting habits, learn new ways to do things, expand your education, and renew yourself.
QUOTES FOR TODAY
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” - Babe Ruth
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