Faith (not the religious kind)

....and its role in flight training and life.

What is faith?

Since it's Sunday, how about we chat about faith? Have you ever been on a road trip to a place you've never been before? Sure, we all have, right? You put your destination in the GPS, you tap "go," and you're on your way.

Your journey begins and everything around you is familiar because after all, you're around your home and you know this area very well. You have an inner sense of peace, calm and safety that if anything were to go wrong, you could find your way home and maybe even uber there if your car breaks down.

Fast forward two hours, you may know kind of where you are but you also know that life is gonna be tougher (and possibly more expensive) if things go south and those feelings of serenity you had near your house are getting further away and that doubt creeps in. You might have to get a hotel if you break down or walk to a gas station.

You continue on your journey and perhaps that GPS that you rely on is taking you through some shady territory on your route, like Spokane? (just kidding Spokane). Now, that feeling of uneasiness is real! You can taste it and feel it in your bones. The "what ifs"at this point are eating you from inside. Those feelings of peace and security are nowhere to be found.

You keep pushing through and guess what, you're there. You made it. You feel great. The fire of "what ifs" is now just a pile of ash and you sit back and enjoy your destination. All of the worry you had was for nothing, everything worked out great.

THAT...is faith.

That is what the flight training journey was for me.

In the beginning, I knew that the financial investment had not been too much and the time commitment had not been a lot and if I needed to turn around, my home (first career) was right around the corner.

Next, I got further down the path and I was in, what was for me, unknown territory. I placed my faith in my mentors, instructors and pilot friends who told me I could have the dream if I wanted to work hard enough for it. I had to believe that even though I had no idea what the destination looked like, that if I kept putting one foot in front of the other and had FAITH, then I would get there.

I kept continuing down the path and had some pretty intense struggles in my training. I was far away from "home" at this point. The financial investment already was giant, the time commitment was great and there was no turning back. One of the many struggles was when I started training for my commercial certificate, I COULD NOT get my landings down. I had so much trouble. It was terrible. Lesson after lesson, they were garbage. I was starting to feel defeated and if my "GPS" had led me astray. I stayed the course, my landings improved, and I felt better.

I am so remarkably grateful to say that I have temporarily arrived at "my destination." I am an airline pilot. It still feels weird to say that and have it be true. It took so much faith to get here! The uncertainty and fear at times was palpable. I questioned my sanity, know how, and decision making skills countless times in the 3+ years it took me to get here.

This is also the very beginning of a new journey. I will eventually make captain and eventually move up to bigger and more powerful jets. I hope the path never ends because this is the best journey I have ever been on.

Takeaways:

• Twice a year in the news, there is a story about how someone's GPS navigated them poorly in to a lake. This is news because it is rare. Trust your inner GPS. It will get you "there." (wherever "happens" to be for you). The law of averages says it won't be you who gets navigated in to a lake.

• It makes no difference who or what you believe in. There is some force in this universe that is EXTREMELY interested in watching your success story. Go ahead and give that force a great show!

• If you're doing it right, you will feel it. You will also not know exactly what "there" looks like until you get there. Don't worry about that. Take the first step, then the second, then go through the peaks and valleys and "arrive."

Have a great day!