Lessons From 6,000 Feet
Most of you know that I fulfilled a lifelong dream a year ago by getting my private pilot license. In the training process (which never ends if you want to be a safe pilot), I’ve learned so many life analogies; I could almost write on them over the course of this next year. But I won’t do that to you :-).But in the next couple of posts, I’d like to give you three primary lessons that relate to all of our lives: attitude, altitude, and atmosphere.
Focus first on attitude.
In flying and in life, attitude is nearly everything. In my very first flying lesson, I had to learn to fly straight and level, which is a lot more difficult to learn than it may sound. In a cockpit, the term is level attitude. It relates to pitch (nose up or nose down), and bank (wings level). In fact, the most important instrument in every cockpit is the attitude indicator. The slightest movement on the control yoke, barely pushing forward or back, and barely moving to the right or left, quickly changes the airplane’s attitude, and that attitude determines your direction and altitude. A minor error can take you many miles off course, or quickly to the ground when you don’t want to be there.During turbulence, attitude is especially #1. Air pockets, shifting winds, and thermals can suddenly send one wing up or down and throw off your heading and altitude. A good pilot keeps both the pitch and the bank level, despite an abrupt change in force against the airplane. But it takes constant monitoring and adjusting, even in minor turbulence.If you want to get to the right place in flying and in life and get there safely, you have to start with the right attitude. That was also one of the earliest lessons I learned as a young man. My attitude determined my joy, my influence on others, and whether or not I would fulfill goals. I’ve learned that success in life and relationships has very little to do with natural ability, education, or circumstances. Success in life is all about attitude. I’ve known some insanely intelligent and talented people who live in self-created messes. Because despite all they’ve been given, they do not monitor or properly adjust their attitudes when life gets rough.In reality, some of the most hazardous flying can be during a smooth flight. Because you don’t feel the bumps, and airplanes naturally drift from level flight in even gentle currents of the air, your senses can lose touch with your direction, pitch, and bank, getting you into aeronautical trouble before realizing something is wrong.And in the same way, it might be harder to monitor and adjust our mental and spiritual attitudes when things go smoothly and life is good. I’ve heard it said, “For every ten who can handle adversity, one can handle success.”Where you land and whether or not you get there safely, is largely dependent on your attitude. Do you carefully monitor it? Do you frequently adjust it to keep your mind and heart on the straight and level?If you want to get to the right place in flying and in life, and get there safely, you have to start with the right attitude.How has yours been lately?