I stumbled upon a blog post about flying a kite, and I liked it so much I felt compelled to write about it here.
Steve Keating wrote a post on his Lead Today blog called Go Fly a Kite in 2022 - almost a year ago to the day - that stuck with me. I loved the way that Keating transformed a common saying with negative connotation ("go fly a kite") into something positive and constructive, while also weaving in examples of how widely applicable this concept is and how, when done successfully, you can reap exponential benefits (much like Steve Jobs insisting on making cell phones when people told him not to).
Essentially, Keating wrote that when someone tells you to go fly a kite, they're telling you to go away and leave them alone. But Keating deconstructs this statement and finds that you can positively reframe the phrase and accept it as a hidden challenge that could lead to success.
First of all, flying a kite isn't as simple as it sounds. You need the appropriate resources - a kite and some string - as well as proper environmental conditions - wind. Next, you need to launch your kite against the wind. Instead of "going with the grain," you have to defy the very thing that's required in order for any of this to work. You need the wind there so that you can work against it.
Keating then argues that the "wind" pushing against you and propelling your kite forward could represent all of the people who have bet against you, tried to thwart your efforts, or showed up as obstacles on your road to success. In another angle, the wind could represent things outside of your control that you can work around or work with in order to be successful.
However you interpret the "wind" here, the moral of the story is that kites fly because people go against the wind, and you can be successful even if you go against people's warnings or attempts to stop you or things outside of your control that pose threats to your success.
You can go against the wind, and you can succeed.
In fact, maybe you need that wind there to challenge you, to poke holes, to give you a new perspective, or even to light a fire under you so you can prove the naysayers wrong.
Maybe your kite is your brilliant idea that you want to see soar. Maybe it's a new business you're thinking of launching. Maybe it's just something new you want to try, like being a better listener or asking more questions or not jumping to conclusions or assumptions so easily.
Whatever it is, go fly that kite.
You'll be glad you did.
Bonus exercise:
Name three things working against you right now.
Identify how you can use them to your advantage. Either embrace them (accept them and work with them) or deny them (work around them).
Turn something working against you into motivation, or even a mantra for your work. Drop it on a sticky note and read it when you need an extra dose of inspiration!
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