Some years before the wright Brothers flew the first airplane, one of the greatest oppositions to their dream had manifested through a most unexpected channel their father! At a convention of the Methodist Church in the latter part of the nineteenth century, Bishop Wright was said to have openly challenged a church leader who spoke about his vision of men flying from place to place in some years to come.

Bishop Wright called the leader’s vision heresy. He declared that flight was reserved for the angels, and if God wanted men to fly, he would have given us wings. Insight and time have ultimately proved that from both spiritual and physical perspectives, Bishop Wright was not right after all.

On the 17th of December, 1903, his own sons proved him wrong by physically recording the first human flight. Deep insight into human exploits especially in contemporary times no doubt attests to the fact that the instinct for flying has always been built into the spirit of man by the Creator Himself. ‘Flying’ in this context is symbolic of the thirst to extend the frontiers of human achievements and break new grounds.

Achievers have within them, the propensity not to make memorials out of their pasts. They cremate them, and reach out for the new opportunities. That is the flying instinct. There is however a direct link between the extent of your flight and the preparation you make prior to taking off.

I believe that this text has so far helped you to appreciate the existence of a treasure-mine within you. However, you will never get to appreciate the full extent of the treasure you carry until you engage it in top flight performance. This performance is preceded by what I call ‘rehearsals’.

Theatre artistes and other professionals in the world of entertainment and sports will never undermine the direct bearing that rehearsals eventually have on performance. David’s destiny-defining moment came when he faced the Philistine giant- Goliath. Prior to that encounter, he had never faced a giant in his life. He had however had series of rehearsals with the bears and the lions (giants in their own rights, as far as the animal kingdom was concerned).

To David, Goliath was in no way different from the beasts he had conquered, save for the fact that he was human. In fact, he must have ranked him lower than those beasts, because even Goliath himself perceived it when he asked David: “am I a dog?”

When Goliath bragged, I’m sure David felt nostalgic the roar of the beasts he had earlier killed must have echoed in his spirit. That is exactly what rehearsal does; it demystifies your challenges and makes them look so familiar. Rehearsal sharpens your problem-solving skills and brings your treasure out of its ore. However, be careful not to allow the thrill of your rehearsals blind you from identifying what is meant to be your actual performance. Be reminded that in life, rehearsals are commended, but only performances are rewarded!