Once upon a time, there was an eagle who lived like a chicken. His owner loved the eagle so much that he fed it chicken-feed and kept it in a barn with other chickens, so it would never go hungry.

One day, a man passing by asked the owner why the eagle, proudest of all the birds, was living in a barn with chickens.

His owner said, “I love my eagle so much, I have given it chicken-feed every day and kept it safe in the barn. It no longer needs to hunt or fly.”

The man was curious at this. He wanted to know if the eagle really had lost its ability to fly. He picked up the eagle and said, “You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.”

The eagle gave him a curious look, jumped down from out of his hands, and went back to eat chicken-feed off the dirt.

The next day, the man tried again. He went to the roof of the house with the eagle and said, “You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.”

The eagle, fearing the height, wriggled free from the man, and jumped back down to the ground to be with the other chickens.

Finally, on the third day, the man took the eagle to the top of a mountain and said, “You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.”

The eagle, trembling but seeing no way down from the mountain, stretched his wings and flew. Slowly at first, but then up, up, and away towards the sun.

Like the eagle, you have it within you to SOAR!