The surface doesn't tell us much, it's when we look beneath it do we have a complete picture of things.
I think the difference between the surface and the depth is one of the main reasons why we can get deceived by appearances.
We mostly judge by appearance without much concern for the cause of it(i.e the appearance).
Arguably, one could say without the depth the surface wouldn't come into existence. Just like without the roots, a tree wouldn't have stood upright and look towards the sky.
Likewise, without the mind, a person wouldn’t have thought and learned from the past or contemplate the future. The depth is like the foundation on which the surface rests on.
Now, a strong foundation doesn't neccesarily mean a strong surface. Some seemingly strong surfaces have weak foundations and some strong foundations have seemingly weak surfaces.
I'm not absolutely sure what the discrepancy is but a case can me made about strong foundations eventually having strong surfaces. Of course, this is not absolute. But in many cases, this is what usually happens.
What's Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg?
From a analogical viewpoint, the tip of the iceberg is success, as in achieving a realistic goal. The event for sticking to a process consistently over a period of time.
Beneath the tip of the iceberg is basically the process that leads to the event, making it a reality. Hard and smart work, and everything between the two are what makes up the process.
Symbolically, the tip of the iceberg is 1/10 or 10% of the iceberg. Which means beneath the tip of the iceberg accounts for 90% of the iceberg. This gives us a key insight about success, in that it reminds us about the volume of work needed to bring the event into reality.
Earlier, I said hard and smart work are what makes up the process. But this is an oversimplification. These play an important part on the process but another more important part is the mindset, our way of thinking (and feeling).
If it's mostly hard work and smart work, then many more people would've achieved success, whatever it may mean to them. Where many get stuck at is the why and how. Why do the work and/or how to do the work? Deep down, most of us know what we need to do but the mind gets in the way and 'mess things up'.
A common example is procrastinating on a task for eternity because we don't feel like doing it.
The phrase 'beneath the tip of the iceberg' has two levels of meaning.
The first is the one mentioned above which is the process itself that brings about the event we call success.
And the second meaning of the phrase 'beneath the tip of the iceberg' is our unsteady and always changing mind that prevents us from putting in the neccesary work to start and continue the process of achieving a realistic goal.
In practice, the second meaning is the foundation of the first meaning, which is the foundation for success. So it's mindset, then work, then success.
In Conclusion
Greatness, as in the epitome of success, is akin to an iceberg.
What we perceive on the surface is only the tip of a massive structure that lies beneath the water.
The tip represents the achievements or accomplishments, but it does not reveal the process that it takes to reach them. Behind closed doors and behind the scenes, lies this hidden world of struggle, effort and persistence. Where a constant battle of setbacks, challenges and doubt occurs.
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