“Every leader who ever stood above the crowd first had to learn to balance at an uncomfortable height. Elevation always feels unstable before it feels natural.”
Walk on Stilts Day is one of the calendar’s most unexpectedly powerful business metaphors — because walking on stilts requires something that most people never develop: the ability to find balance at a height that feels inherently wrong. The first steps are terrifying. The ground feels impossibly far away. Every instinct tells you to come back down to where it is safe. And then — gradually, with practice — the height becomes normal, the balance becomes instinctive, and you can see further than anyone around you. Alex Rodriguez, born today, built a baseball legacy and then a business empire by consistently operating at a level of ambition that made others uncomfortable. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau played one of television’s most complex characters with a stillness and precision that made moral ambiguity look effortless.
The Business Lesson:
Hirav Shah uses this metaphor with clients who are in the early stages of a significant business elevation — a new pricing tier, a new market, a new identity, a new level of visibility. The discomfort they feel is not a signal that they are wrong. It is a signal that they are higher than they have ever been. Balance at elevation is a learnable skill — not a natural gift. The leaders who stay at ground level their entire careers are not more grounded. They are simply less willing to feel unstable long enough to find the new balance. Go higher. Feel the wobble. Stay on the stilts. The view from up there will change everything.
About Hirav Shah, Business Strategist & The Game Changer
Hirav Shah is a globally respected Business Strategist and Game Changer who works with entrepreneurs, sportsmen, entertainers, startups, SMEs, and large corporates across India, the USA, and beyond. He advises founders, CEOs, and investors on validating critical decisions before they invest, launch, expand, merge, flip, or exit—ensuring clarity, timing, and sustainable growth.
Website: hiravshah.com
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: + 91-9687599923 (India)
+1-551-689-5323 (USA)
