Six Life Lessons From the Albatross

That’s Right. Want to Be Clear on Your Mission? Study the Albatross

That’s Right. Want to Be Clear on Your Mission? Study the Albatross

I overheard someone in the elevator, “This project is an albatross around my neck.” Then, there was a collective nod from the person’s friends, like, “I feel you.”

The albatross gets a bad rap. The oft-used reference to the bird is a metaphor for carrying a heavy burden, a weight that holds us back, keeps us down.

Before the ancient poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge created this legend in his 1798 poem, the albatross was considered a sign of good luck by sailors when the bird followed their ship. However, in the true-story-inspired poem, a mariner shoots the albatross and as punishment his companions make him wear the dead bird around his neck until his death.

I remember a couple years ago, after watching the Discovery Channel’s series “Frozen Planet,” I thought differently about the albatross.

Knowing the Equipment

You’d think it would be a breeze to be able to fly with an eleven-foot wingspan. But, a young albatross has an incredibly difficult time getting off the ground. In fact, it takes literally weeks for him to figure out how to take flight.

WEEKS.

He tries everything, running leaps followed be quick-flapping of his gigantic wings, jumping off rocks and hills only to fall clumsily back to the ground.

Lots of trial and error ensues.

Lots of persistence and single-minded focus.

And, then one day when all of its painstaking preparation meets the opportunity of the right gust of wind, the albatross soars beautifully and effortlessly across the sea.

And, here’s the kicker: once he’s in his zone doing what he was meant to do he won’t set foot on land again for five years. Can you imagine?

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

So, this magnificent creature that is literally built to fly like no other, had to figure it out. With instinct and an innate knowing as his guides, he did it.

It got me thinking about how as magnificent human beings we too already have all of the equipment necessary to do whatever we set our minds to do.

But, as multi-faceted freethinking spirits it’s so easy to let ego and a multitude of factors get in our way from meeting our true destinies. Many times we focus on what we’re told we should be doing, or on what someone else is doing, rather than what we’re meant to do, our true heart’s desire.

Just Be the Albatross

The albatross has a big mission in mind. An albatross mission.

If he all of sudden decided he would rather be a whale or a polar bear (after all they eat fish too and don’t have to worry about trying to fly) then just think of the time and energy he would waste trying to fit into a mold where his big floppy wings would be seen as a flaw rather than the asset that they are.

Or, if he tried to be another type of bird because he saw how much easier it was for them to fly. I can just imagine a hummingbird watching the albatross stumble over and over again to take flight and saying, “what’s the big deal, dude?” as it buzzes in an annoying flight pattern above the big bird’s head.

But no, the albatross has a big mission and he knows he has all the equipment to get him there.

So, to my way of thinking the albatross has a few lessons he can teach us brilliant and often wayward humans.

Here are Six:

• Know your strengths — The albatross doesn’t focus on his weaknesses, but rather his strengths so that the weaknesses are but a hiccup along the way.

“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” ~ Mikhail Baryshnikov

• Understand Your Own Equipment — Know what your capabilities are and if you need to educate yourself to improve them, then do so instead of being hung up on what you don’t know.

• Have Clear Intention of Your Mission — What’s the Why behind your desires. Who will it impact? What is its highest good?

• Keep Your Eye on the Target — After taking the time to determine your life mission, gear everything you do toward fulfilling that mission.

• Be Persistent — With clear and directed focus.

And, first and last, always -

• Follow your Instincts — Listen to the signals your heart and body give you as you’re on your journey. Your gut is usually right, even when your head tries to steer you. Follow your gut.

So, next time perhaps, rather than thinking of the albatross as a heavy burden holding you back, think of it as a guide to get you through to where you’re supposed to be.

And, Try This

If you want to further expand your thinking while elevating and operating your life at a higher level, while focusing on your mission, check out my simple 8-step checklist that will help you get there.

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