Dive into the inspiring story of Amelia Earhart, who defied societal norms to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Her journey emphasizes the power of starting small and embracing challenges, even when faced with rejection and difficult choices. Learn how she swallowed her pride and took a leap of faith, reminding us that greatness begins with momentum. Discover the wisdom of Epictetus, urging us to maintain our freedom of choice and embrace even the humblest tasks on the road to success.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Start Anywhere, Anyhow
Start pursuing your goals anywhere, anyhow, even if the conditions aren't perfect or if you're undervalued.
Embrace any opportunity to gain momentum and prove doubters wrong.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Earhart’s Unpaid Flight
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, accepting an unpaid, non-piloting role.
This demonstrates her commitment to her goals, even under unfair conditions, eventually proving doubters wrong.
insights INSIGHT
Freedom and Opportunity
Just as freedom of choice exists in both a podium and a prison, opportunity exists in all jobs.
Even menial tasks like sweeping offer a chance to excel and learn.
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On this day in 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Her solo exploits are well known. Less so is that Earhart had already made the same flight less than five years prior. Unable to make a living as a female pilot, Earhart was working a job as a social worker. Then one day the phone rang. On the other end of the line was a pretty offensive offer: She could be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, but she wouldn’t actually fly the plane and she wouldn’t get paid anything.
Guess what she said to the offer? She said yes. Because that’s what people who defy the odds do. That’s how people who become great at things—whether it’s flying or blowing through gender stereotypes—do. They start. Anywhere. Anyhow. They don’t care if the conditions are perfect or if they’re being slighted. They swallow their pride. They do whatever it takes. Because they know that once they get started, if they can just get some momentum, they can make it work. And they can prove the people who doubted them wrong, as Earhart certainly did.
“A podium and a prison is each a place, one high and the other low,” Epictetus said. “But in either place your freedom of choice can be maintained if you so wish."
On the road to where we are going or where we want to be, we have to do things that we’d rather not do. Often when we are just starting out, our first jobs “introduce us to the broom,” as Andrew Carnegie famously put it. There’s nothing shameful about sweeping. It’s just another opportunity to excel—and to learn.
The Daily Stoic