Today is January 3 and the Navigate the Chaos question is "How close to the sun will you fly?"
In Greek Mythology Icarus was the Son of Daedalus who dared to fly too near the sun on wings of feathers and wax. Daedalus had been imprisoned by King Minos of Crete within the walls of his own invention, the Labyrinth.
But the great craftsman's genius would not suffer captivity. He made two pairs of wings by adhering feathers to a wooden frame with wax.
Giving one pair to his son, he cautioned him that flying too near the sun would cause the wax to melt.
But Icarus became ecstatic with the ability to fly and forgot his father's warning. The feathers came loose and Icarus plunged to his death in the sea.
The cautionary tale is for people not to fly too high or risk failure. But is this the right approach?
Best-selling author Seth Godin’s 2012 publication The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? challenged the myth and when he wrote, “It’s not about whether we have what it takes; it’s about whether we choose to pursue it. The astonishing news is that for the first time in recorded history it matters not so much where you are born or what your DNA says about you—the connection economy is waiting for you to step forward, with only the resistance to hold you back.”
What is the connection economy? It's the ability for any individual to connect with resources previously only available to a select few.
Three examples of options now available for you to pursue include: 1)publishing a book on lulu.com; 2)selling creative items you make on etsy.com; or 3)raising money for your idea on gofundme.com.
If you want to translate your dream of publishing a book, and you now have access to resources like Lulu.com, what is holding you back?
If you decide to venture close to the sun remember the words of Roman philosopher Seneca who noted “It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult.”
How close to the sun will you fly?