If You Think You Know Why The Founding Fathers Chose The Eagle As Our National Bird, Think Again.

They put a lot of thought into this bird!

I know this week another bird is on the menu. Since history seems to be ‘in the making’ however on so many levels, I wanted to prod you into thinking a bit more deeply about the reasons our Founding Fathers ultimately chose the eagle as our national bird. We know that the eagle is both regal and majestic…a skilled bird of prey, strong and bold in its presence. But there is plenty about our national symbol left for the telling, traits you may even want to adopt in your own life to become more like him. Allow me to explain.

1. Eagles fly at high altitudes — They don’t fly with sparrows or hang out with pigeons in the friendly skies. They soar at the most elevated levels. A metaphor for maintaining pristine character even during the most challenging moments for all of us, perhaps? I can’t imagine any different.

2. Eagles have vision — Eagles won’t move their focus off their prey until it is seized. They never give up. Elon Musk comes to mind as a prime example of this point but there are plenty of others too — men and women who have changed our lives and molded our futures because they adopted this type of mentality.

3. Eagles are fearless — Eagles never concern themselves with the size or ferocity of their prey. They face challengers head-on until these challengers are overcome. I recently wrote a post for THRIVE GLOBAL on the premise of fearlessness. Read it HERE. It’s worth doing.

4. Eagles are tenacious — Eagles love storms as they use these storm’s winds to carry them up higher. So go the difficult moments that we face in our lives, including the ones we are all facing on a national level now. If we are like our eagle, we will all come out the stronger for them.

5. Eagles never eat dead meat — Eagles are not scavengers. They are hunters. Hunters make their lives what they are and shun the leftovers of others to chart their own courses. They don’t lean on successes of the past but build from them while always moving forward.

6. Eagles prepare ahead of time — Baby eagles leave their nests the moment their parents make it too uncomfortable for them to stay. Already prepared to fly, they don’t wallow in their comfort zones for any longer than necessary. Nor should you. Life is for the taking and death comes faster than you think.

7. Eagles possess vitality — When eagles grow old, they pluck themselves naked then break their beaks and claws. This is followed by a period of hiding to give themselves a chance to grow everything back again — all shiny, new, and ready to conquer their eagle-worlds once more. They don’t give up or give in to old habits or old-speak. They reject the ‘decline’, holding fast to “new beginnings” and nimbleness. It is a lesson I learned early on. My new book “Be Careful What You Wish For” is a testament to this as is the magnificent impact it is having on people, which warms my heart to no end.

As our Founding Fathers put quite a bit of thought into everything that they did together, their choice of our national bird makes even more sense to me now. I am sure, “to you too.” Might I say that I am thankful that these men were all such wise-old birds on this matter and everything else it seems as well.

Now…onto the next bird at hand. The one soon to be sitting on my plate. Happy Thanksgiving, EVERYONE! Enjoy the festive holiday, safely and gratefully.