No doubt you already know that most of an iceberg’s mass lies beneath the surface.  If not, …you’re welcome.

Recently the scale of this fact impressed me.   Imagine … for all the visible ice towering above the surface—sometimes 30 metres or more—there’s twice as much of it beneath the surface.

What does this have to do with superstars and otherwise successful people?  Glad you asked.

Iceberg as metaphor

I think the scale of the unseen part of an iceberg is a useful metaphor for successful people.

Just as we only see the part of the iceberg above the surface we see only big achievements and the famous person.

Like the submerged part of the iceberg we don’t see all the past failure and the network of help and support that makes the famous person visible.

We see the brilliant performance but not all the hours of practice and failure that made it possible.  We see the famous person and not the network of people who helped (and help) her be famous.

Every successful person has a team of people around them.  Even seeming soloists like J.K. Rowling, Yo-Yo ma or Justin Bieber.

There are publicists, make-up artists, directors, producers, writers, composers etc., etc., and all of their associated people who make the part you see visible; like the Beyonce’s, Federer’s, Obama’s, Gates’ etc., etc.

courtesy: art_es_anna

courtesy: art_es_anna

Look at anybody that has it going on and you’ll see a team of people.  Sometimes the team is coordinating action to get things done‚—like a U.S. President‚—or sometimes the teams is shielding and coaching the superstar so that they can do their thing—like a writer or a tennis player.

Demonstration of our connection

Apart from an interesting metaphor it is a brilliant example of how connected we all are, and how we all need the help and support of other people to make our dreams come true.

Like a cell in our body, or the animal in a herd, we’re part of something bigger and the quicker we get that is the quicker we can harness the power of all the other members of what we’re a part of.

  • Our connection to others is where power and divinity comes from.
  • People believing in each other is what makes dreams possible.
  • People helping each other is how we fulfil our dreams.

What’s beneath your surface?

If you’re out there struggling, trying to keep your head above water, perhaps there’s not enough iceberg beneath you.  My guess is that you’re all alone.

You’re not part of a team making anything happen; either your dream or making someone else’s dream that you’ve bought into.