The Success Iceberg?

The Iceberg is a common, meme-worthy metaphor for complexity: The iceberg of effective teaching, the iceberg of understanding your relationship partner, the iceberg of problems that companies face (e.g., low morale, stealing). Critically, the iceberg is a convenient way for to express that what's available to our regular or routine perception, and what's underneath (which could be anything logically related).

So I share this one here acknowledging the convenience while simultanously expressing that this representation is pretty good about life and goal-achievement in general. Anyone can see "success" (e.g., career, health and fitness, love, family) and assume that these things are just for some and not for others.

Bullshit. We're missing the whole picture, either because we'd like to imagine that it's easily dispensed to some (and it may be our turn if we're patient enough) or we're cognitively lazy and committed to our own world view. Which is fine as long as that world view doesn't hold us back from a goal we identify we want to work toward.

And those that have success sometimes don't want to share anything below the surface. Why? I'm sure you could guess, but it's a combination of A) a desire to be seen as naturally "blessed," B) a perspective that there is a limited amount of win in the world (and if you share you give it up), or C) not feeling the recipient is worthy.

Websites like reddit and interest blogs provide opportunity to break down these walls, in part due to the annoymity of the community. I've been really encouraged to find all manner of fitness or writing advice both there and the Chronicle of Higher Education blogs. Such sources can demystify what's below the surface, and provide pathways and motivation toward the things we want in life.

Image pulled from Reddit front page, January 26th, 2016.