Did you know on long haul flights, the pilots are all given different meals to chow down when it’s time to eat?
One pilot might get a beef stroganoff while his or her co-pilot gets the
chicken curry.
The reason?
If one batch of food is a little bit iffy, and, as a result, a pilot has an…err…how shall we say it?…”accident down below”…the other pilot will still be in a fit state to fly the
plane.
Which is obviously good news for everyone else on board.
Why do I mention this?
Well, this snippet brought to mind a well-known saying:
When it comes to life, you can choose to be the passenger or you can choose to be the pilot.
I’m sure you’ve heard different versions of
this phrase. It’s a rallying cry to call the shots, grab life by the horns and take control of your destiny.
But today I want to put a slightly different spin on the role of the pilot.
See, even though a pilot’s role
is to fly a plane from A to B, it doesn’t mean the pilot will end up flying a pre-planned route.
If the pilot knows the plane is racing towards turbulence or a thunderstorm, or if there’s the opportunity to catch a jet stream, it makes sense to change course.
To react and adjust to conditions.
And I think there’s a little lesson here for us all:
If you’re setting out to hit a destination or goal, deciding on a
path from A to B isn’t all that important.
It might not even be that helpful.
Because even if you have a route in mind, it probably won’t be the route you end up taking.
I find this a more satisfying way of thinking about the difference between the pilot and the passenger.
The pilot's job is to know the start point, the destination, and to fly the plane from one to the other.
But their job isn’t to fly a pre-set path come what may.
Instead, it’s to stay open to different routes once they’re in the air.
So be the pilot of your life all you want.
Just don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to have it all figured out before you set off.
That's all for now.
Have a good weekend.
- Tom