You're Only A Pilot When...

I have a good mate who’s a helicopter pilot.

I asked him the other day what’s it like spending days in the clouds and he said it’s just like any other job with it’s ups and downs (pun intended).

He then said. “But remember, you’re only a pilot when you lose an engine…”

Wow, I must have hovered (sorry!) on that statement for at least 10 minutes.

What he was saying was that you only truly embody a function when the world needs more from you…

“How many times have you been a pilot”, I asked.

“Never….”, he replied.

So that got me thinking…

You’re only a parent when you’re always there.

You’re only healthy when you invest in yourself.

You’re only a husband after you’ve folded the laundry.

You’re only sober when you’ve overcome the shame.

You’re only a leader when the wheels fall off.

You’re only a captain when you’re sinking at sea.

You’re only an entrepreneur when you find meaning over money.

You’re only a comedian when you can laugh at yourself.

You’re only a doctor after the 7 min consult.

You’re only holy when you embrace spirituality over religion.

You’re only an athlete when you learn how to lose.

You’re only a teacher after 3 pm.

You’re only a counsellor when you listen more than you speak.

You only have a life when you choose courage over comfort.

You’re only a millionaire when you know you have enough.

You’re only a scientist when you realise the opposite is true.

You only have leverage if you can walk away from the deal.

You only have empathy when the other person’s behaviour makes sense.

You only have status when you realise you’ll end up in the same ground as everyone else.

We may never learn to fly but now more than ever the world needs more from us than ever before.

We only truly tap into our essence when much is required from us.

So taxi out, trim the wings and power up.

Onwards and upwards.