Sumudu Gunathilake
Be Like an Eagle When You Face Defeat!
Remember that life is like a book. Some chapters will be hard, some will make you happy, and some will change you forever. But every single page, whether good or bad, is part of the story that makes you who you are. Don’t close your book too soon. Your best chapter might be the very next one.
We sometimes win and other times we lose. But losing is not the end. It’s just a signal for a new start. Let’s learn from the eagle how to rise up after a setback.
Who is the Eagle?
Have you ever really looked at an Eagle? It’s known as the King of the Sky. It lives a long time and is the proudest of all birds. Generally, an eagle is a very powerful bird of prey. They are large, so they don’t chase their prey much in the air. Instead, they try to surprise and quickly defeat their prey on the ground.
Eagles are monogamous; they mate for life and use the same nest every year. They usually nest in places that are hard to reach, sitting on a small number of eggs for six to eight weeks. The young eagles grow slowly, getting their full adult feathers in their third or fourth year. Because eagles are so strong, they have been a symbol of war and great power since ancient Babylonian times. You can find their picture on old Greek and Roman ruins, coins, and medals.
Why You Should Be Like an Eagle
The eagle is more than just a bird. It has great strength, courage that never fails, and amazing self-confidence. When your life is tough or you’re bored, you can choose to be an Eagle. These are important lessons you should learn from the Eagle.
- Face Challenges Directly!
The eagle is the only bird that actually loves a storm. When a storm hits, all other birds are afraid and look for a place to hide. But the Eagle is different. It’s not scared of the storm. It uses the wind to rest its wings, spreads them wide in the direction of the wind, and flies above the clouds. The storm isn’t a problem for it. Meanwhile, all the other birds are hiding in the trees.
The lesson for you: Problems, hurdles, and challenges will also come into your life. Don’t hide from them in fear. Learn to fly above those problems and challenges. Become stronger by using difficult times. Successful people enjoy challenges and use them to their advantage.
- Make Painful Decisions for a Better Future!
An eagle lives for about 40 years; it has to make a very difficult choice. By this time, its beak is bent, its claws are broken, and its wings are heavy. It can’t fly well or catch food properly. So, it has only two options: either die, or face a painful, six-month process.
The eagle chooses the painful process to restart its life. During this time, it flies to a high mountain. First, it rubs its old beak against a stone until it falls off. Then, it waits for a new beak to grow. Once the new beak is ready, it uses it to pull out its old, broken nails one by one. After new nails grow, it uses them to remove its heavy old wings, feather by feather.
After going through all of this for six months, it starts a new life. It gets a chance to live for about 30 more years.
The lesson for you: Sometimes, you have to let go of old things, bad habits, and people who hurt you. This can be painful. But to start a new, strong life, you must go through that pain. Get rid of the things that are stopping you from succeeding.
- Laser-Sharp Focus!
Eagles can see clearly up to three miles away while flying in the air. When an eagle spots prey, even a small animal, it focuses completely on it and sets out to catch it. An eagle can see its prey clearly even from kilometers up. No matter what gets in the way, its attention doesn’t change. It flies directly toward the prey. The eagle will not stop focusing on the prey until it grabs it.
The lesson for you: You must have a clear goal. Don’t lose focus because of what others say or what’s happening around you. Keep moving forward, look only at your goal, and you will succeed.
- Fearless in Solitude!
An eagle never flies with a crowd. It’s rare to see eagles flying together, except for their mate. They don’t fly with sparrows or smaller birds like geese. Eagles fly alone. They fly to the top of the sky with pride and on their own. The eagle is its own protection and security.
The lesson for you: Don’t always expect others to help. Trust in yourself and get used to standing up alone. You are your own source of strength. Follow your dreams alone.
- Never Feeds on the Past!
The eagle always hunts and eats only fresh prey. It never eats dead animals.
The lesson for you: Don’t regret the past. The things that happened are already finished. Don’t keep remembering your old defeats and mistakes. The past is a dead thing. Don’t let bad attitudes, ways of thinking, or people from the past spoil your life. Forget the actual past events but remember the lesson you learned from them. Think about the future and start fresh today. Live in the present.
Conclusion
So, if you are feeling defeated, down, or fed-up with life, remember that you can be an Eagle that flies above the storm. All it takes is courage, hard work, and unshakeable self-confidence. Focus only on your goals and chase them every single time.
