To retreat is not a sign of weakness rather it is a high mark of bravery. The ‘retreat, renew, re-launch is an eagle philosophy. It is a very powerful success philosophy that one must crave. Check out this story. Arnold had just shown up at his office. He had been down with bouts of fever and had been away for the past seven days.
“Good morning, Arnold”, one of his colleagues greeted him. “Hello”, he replied, as he headed toward his desk clutching his briefcase. He sat down, bowed his head, and muttered a little prayer, thanking God because he is back on his feet. He had barely finished when his colleague came over to his desk to ask him about his health.
“How are you today, Arnold?” he asked. “I learned you were sick.” “Sick?” Arnold asked griming, his face beaming with an innocuous smile. “I was not sick; instead I retreated, renewed, and came back stronger.” And just as he began to explain, his colleague listened with keen interest. “For your own very consumption, I retreated like the eagle and I have renewed my strength.” It is the eagle philosophy, called the retreat, renew, and relaunch philosophy.
The Eagle Philosophy
Now, let’s examine eagle philosophy, one habit of the eagle that helps it to succeed as a bird of pride. One important element of the eagle philosophy is retreat. Everyone who is nursing the ambition of succeeding in life must learn to retreat. The eagle has this very useful habit of retreating when its strength is fast deteriorating and it has become a threat to its survival. Once the eagle notices weakness and a diminishing flight speed it retreats to the solitary mountaintop. It goes into hiding. What does it do? It plucks out all the old feathers until its body becomes bare. Also, it knocks off its beak by hitting it against the rock. The eagle also plucks out its talons. Then it will await a renewal process which takes about five to six months.
Hence, within this renewal period, the eagle awaits the feathers, beak, and talons to grow back. And when the renewal process is over it launches back to the scene with improved speed and maneuvers, full of strength and energy. The eagle philosophy is very important with regard to success. Hence, you must regularly, retreat, renew, and re-launch if you want to be a high-flyer like the eagle. That is why in offices workers go on leave and off. As an entrepreneur or self-employed you must individually make out time for your own retreat. This philosophy helps us a great deal to succeed by;
Renewing Physical Strength
Retreating helps you to conserve and enhance your strength and energy. In one of my posts, I did say that physical strength in the face of challenges suffers ‘from wear and tear. Always ensure you evaluate your energy level, and make sure it is at an optimal level as optimal energy equates to optimum output. Whenever you notice a drop in your strength level, be sure to retreat and renew your strength. Renewal of strength through retreat is important as it results in improved performance.
Mental Strength
Apart from the renewal of physical strength, the eagle philosophy also improves our mental strength as it enables us to think clearly. Retreating ensures mental stability. It improves the ability to focus, think and innovate. It helps us explore new ways of doing things without distraction. This action increases creativity because when you retreat you become open to inspiration. And inspiration is the source of creative ideas.
Stress Management
The ‘Retreat, Renew, Re-launch’ philosophy helps in stress management. Stress is inimical to success because if it is not well managed it could result in depression. Depression is a situation where you lack excitement about life, a situation where you give up on everything in life. This could eventually lead to suicide. So retreating is a better way to deal with the problem of depression as it takes your mind off the tortures of failure and the bug called fear.
Long Life
Do you want to live long? Then take time off to rest and relax. Highly successful people make out time to rest. The human body is a physical machine that is so fragile that it can break down with excessive workload. So in the midst of your very busy schedule make out time to retreat. Engage in extra curriculum activities that will take your mind off the workload. Go on vacation, to concerts, the gym, and sporting activities. You can as well stay indoors with loved ones, read your favorite books, or do some drawing or painting. Retreating helps the eagle live longer than many birds. It can add about 20-30 years to its age just by retreating.
These teasers will help you evaluate yourself and prepare you for better performance;
- Have you ever retreated in life before?
- When was the last time you retreated?
- What did you do during the retreat?
- What was the impact of that retreat on your career and/or business?
- Was the impact positive, or negative?