Let Your Freak Flag Fly

The Greeks coined a unique term worth becoming familiar with, ichor (pronounced “I-core”). It was a reference to the fluid that ran through the veins of the gods (instead of blood like in mortals).

Your ichor is your uniqueness, your special passions, talents and ability to see the world through your own eyes. The world needs you to live out your ichor because you are the only you the world will ever have.

Two centuries ago Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Insist on yourself; never imitate…Every great man is unique.” Or as the title of this article taken from lyrics by Jimi Hendrix suggests, be authentic, express your individualism and be true to yourself.

There is a wonderful story about David Livingstone preparing to move to Africa to minister to hurting people there. His friends were concerned for his safety, fearing his exposure to unfamiliar animals and dangerous diseases.

Accompanying him to his boat one young man was especially vocal about his fears. Livingstone opened his Bible and read from the gospels the words of Christ, “Lo, I am with you always.” He closed the book, turned to the young man and smiled and said, “That, my friend, is the word of a gentleman…So let us be going.”

Livingstone’s ichor was an overwhelming love for the people of Africa. For the Wright brothers it was an undeniable belief in their ability to fly. For Einstein it was an endless desire to simply know. As he said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”

In his classic work Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill talks about spending hours imagining conversations with great men and women from the past. Closing his eyes he would picture having a discussion with Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison. He specifically chose people he wanted to emulate so that he might become more like them in his character, in short borrowing some of their ichor.

Indeed, one of the surest ways to light the fire in your own heart is to spend time with people who are passionate and challenge you to move your life to the next level. Perhaps you know someone personally that can help you, or like Hill you can learn from heroes from the past through studying their lives. The important thing is to rub shoulders with people that will help you grow.

I remember one coach who shared that he liked to attend Sarah Brightman concerts. He has no musical ability and can play no instruments. Instead he simply shared that listening to someone perform at that level motivates him to succeed at his own career.

So uncover your ichor, seek to be outstanding, and don’t be afraid to let your freak flag fly.