Recently, I was flying in my friend’s private Cirrus SR-22 for a two hour jaunt between cities. We were at an altitude of 10,000 feet and encountered a significant head wind which caused our little plane to experience some significant turbulence. I had not prepared myself to encounter the dips, tosses and turns the plane would experience because of the wind. Its crazy how a little wind can cause a smaller plane to shake so violently. Luckily, my friend is an experienced pilot and he was cool as a cucumber. He even talked me through the 7 step process to activate the plane’s parachute if he was to black out or experience a significant medical emergency.
This reminds me of the turbulence we often experience in life. There are those who meticulously prepare for the storms of life and those who don’t. No matter what season of life we are in or the transitions we find ourselves facing, it is imperative for us to prepare every aspect of our lives: emotionally, financially, physically, mentally, spiritually, and our loved ones. When we become complacent and apathetic in the SEAL Teams grave mistakes are made and people’s lives can be in jeopardy. We are constantly honing our skills, learning from our mistakes and paying attention to the details. Similarly, if you are currently enjoying “smooth air” in life where things are going well, please be careful of becoming complacent because we never know when the air will shift and the turbulence causes our lives to flip upside down.
I want to encourage my readers to consistently look at the horizon of their lives (1-2 years out) and see if you are currently prepared for the changes ahead. If COVID taught us anything, it showed us how unprepared we can be and how quickly life can change on a dime. When was the last time you conducted an extensive look at your life (i.e. running multiple diagnostic checks in your “plane”) to see where you need to improve, grow and change?
