Learning to Fly

’I suspect all of us who visit the worlds of Jonathan Seagull will never want to return.’

ERNEST K. GANN, author of The High and The Mighty

How many JL Seagulls are there? Tens? Hundreds? Thousands? Eager for the thrill of breaking through. Flying higher. Trying harder. "The gull sees farthest who flies highest." Where is that goal you are striving for? Who is standing next to you to ensure you get there? Jonathan had Sullivan to keep him on the course, to motivate and support, to give tips and show the greater order of things. Alexander the Great had Aristotle. Duke had Coach K, much more than a basketball teacher. Can you come up with an example when someone has achieved greatness without really having a mentor nearby? 

Some are afraid to venture there, being afraid of failure. Fear of failure is ultimately the greatest damage a person can do to himself. “Each of us is in truth an idea of the Great Gull, an unlimited idea of freedom,” says Richard Bach. The resources are within: we only need to tap at the right door somewhere deep inside. Who will help you do that? 

Yes, I am advocating coaching. It might sound like selling, but I don't have to do it, because everyone realizes the need, and there is much more demand than supply when it comes to good coaches. And while you are ruminating the options, here is some beautiful Neil Diamond music, inspired by Jonathan Livingstone Seagull: