Pilots quickly learn that “no” and “unable” are powerful and liberating words. Just because you can do something does not mean you should. I have sometimes accepted clearances I wish I had not. I have also denied clearances and was glad I did. I cannot recall a single instance when I denied a clearance and wish I had accepted it. Consider the following life examples…
This post would be a logical place to tell you that “you have no limitations”, or “you can be anything you want to be”, or “your only limits are the ones you put on yourself”, or “you can do anything”. I would love to believe those things myself, but they are all lies.
It is important to be teachable and to not allow pride to prevent you learning the lessons that mistakes offer. On the flight deck there is no room for pride because it interferes with identifying errors, correcting them, and learning from them.
The intent of this blog is to use stories and lessons I have accumulated over my life to help others. Part of that is helping people avoid mistakes I have made, which means…
While it is okay to have some momentary confusion in determining if all the people on the flight actually intend to go where the jet is going, it certainly is never okay for the captain to be at all confused about the destination. In your life, that captain is YOU.
As the sun was setting behind us, I read aloud to my crew: “Airport and runway lights missing or intermittent. Night operations not recommended. 60-foot trees within 350’ of end of runway XX. Mountains rising several thousand feet within nine miles east of the airport.
A good friend knows the worst about you and is your friend anyway. To be fully known and fully loved is the basest of all human desires. Besides doing the hard things, like walking life with you when it is not going well, they will say the hard things. A friend that says what you want to hear cares more about themselves or preserving the friendship than they do about you. They want you to like them more than they want what is best for you.