S:0766 Principle: I Can DO This!



Most people are aware that on December 17, 1903, mankind first left the surface of the Earth in a powered, heavier-than-air device and flew under controlled conditions. It was, of course, the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, who accomplished this feat.

However, few people are aware that on that day there were four flights. The takeoff of the first was, fortunately and somewhat by luck, immortalized by a widely seen photograph. The pilot was Orville, the distance 120 feet.

Then there were three more flights. The second, by Wilbur, went 175 feet. The third, by Orville, the brothers taking turns, went 200 feet. But then something remarkable happened.

On the fourth and final flight of the day, Wilbur flew that frail craft for 852 feet! That’s a dramatic difference from the first three hops. What happened?

They were learning. Simple as that. Attempting and testing. Again and again. Learning.

Is it too hard to imagine Wilbur saying to himself as he continued on that long fourth flight, “I can DO this!”?


Coaching Point: When have you said to yourself, after repeated attempts, “I can DO this!”? How did that feel?


Copyright 2010 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.