Iron Man & the SR-71 Blackbird

In the movie based on the Marvel Comics' character "Iron Man," when weapons expert Tony Stark is kidnapped in Afganistan, he builds a metal suit equipped with weaponry to escape his captors.  After he returns to America, he builds a more high tech version in his garage.  

Tony Stark (aka Iron Man)

When his computer-assistant Jarvis tells him that numerous tests should still be run before attempting flight, Tony Stark tells him, "Sometimes you need to run before you can walk.

Iron Man's "Heads-up" display

Tony Stark flies out of his garage and into the night sky.  Stark asks the altitude record for the SR-71 Blackbird.  The icon of this amazing airplane appears on his heads-up display, and Jarvis rattles off its record.  Stark then tells Jarvis to punch it, and shoots up toward the moon.  

The SR-71 Blackbird: side view

The scene reminds how comforting it can be to complete a "more readily achievable goal."  Why do I tell myself that I must accomplish lessor goals, before one day reaching for the sky?  While every house needs a strong foundation, I can't just keep improving, strengthening, and redesigning the foundation.  Some day, I must begin work on the house.  

Standing before the SR-71

Or, to put it in more readily accessible terms, were I to rank all my desired goals with grades such as A, B, and C, it's the A's that I most want to look back on later and say, "Yes, I did that.  I accomplished that." 

You know, maybe it's time I took up running.  Every day.

Dragon Dave