We Are Already Flying

We are not ready, and we fly.

Are we ever really ready? Have we prepared enough? Are we working with the right people? Do we have the strength to keep going, and going, and going? There is a certain privelege to the idea of being ready. You never fail if you are never ready. If we never convince ourselves we are ready, the ideas we cherish will never be ignored and criticized. If we never convince ourselves we are ready, we never fail. Who we are is revealed when we are ready. Being ready is fundamental to flying.

We stand still, and we fly.

Fear can be paralyzing. It lurks in our stories. It suffocates confidence. It bashes hope. Fear and doubt can leave us standing still. Moving through fear and doubt means we find peace with the parts of ourselves that give and receive forgiveness, make mistakes, get it wrong, are hard on everything. Flying asks us to make fear and doubt allies. We are asked to do it, whatever it is, anyway. In the stillness. In the knowing. We fly.

We are surrounded, and we fly.

Thoughts fly through our minds. “I am not smart enough.” “I am not good enough.” “Other people do this much better.” “Nobody cares what I have to say.” “Why don’t I give up?” Toxic thoughts can come from things we hear from others, what we absorb in the zeitgeist, and from personal histories riddled with with negative experiences. Silencing the voices. Moving from chaos to stillness. Navigating the falling apart and coming together. We fly amidst it all.

We fail, and we fly.

Past mistakes and failure leave their mark on our souls. They can make risk more painful. They can stamp out enthusiasm and drive. They can leave the cars of our lives parked in the garage — and/or — they can provide ground for our highest selves to take root. They can be a window into the possibility of wisdom. They can be a bridge between our pasts and futures. What we do with mistakes and failures reveals who we are and determines our capacity for flight.

We believe, and we fly.

Ultimately, flying is about paying attention. Paying attention to our still small voice and our victories and defeats. Paying attention to what matters and setting free what does not. Paying attention to our heart’s desire and letting that guide our steps. That is what it means to fly.