[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Icarus learned the hard way that gravity is a harsh mistress"]
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Before you take on the world, know your blind spots
The higher you soar, the more damaging the fall due to catastrophe. Why allow a known risk to go unmitigated, namely one's own shortcomings. Regardless of how far you progress up the success ladder, without first coming to terms with your weaknesses, all you'll end up building is a bigger chute to the bottom. What can we do to prevent a flaw from being as tragic as Icarus'?
Recognize and embrace your faults
Attempting to fix all of one's flaws is the ignorant labor of youth. Dissecting aspects of human nature that don't fit an ideal self image is a fool's errand. Strong measures once taken reduce the impact of personal liability, but they're almost always reactions to symptoms. Is your midsection the result of gluttony? Diet and exercise are the cure, for a few years. Drink too much, abstain. Can't resist licking envelope glue, there's nothing on earth that can help you. The empty feeling of the addict is a deep psychological condition that even strict life changes fail to treat. Being human is learning to address our weakest aspects with compassion. We are the sum of all our inclinations and dreams, both benevolent and malicious.