Born to it

This time of year, especially, most of us tend to get a little introspective. Do you ever look at your life and wonder if you are on the right track? You know that whole overwhelming idea of finding your life’s purpose? The thought—for me at least—is equal parts paralyzing and motivating. In the flight instruction world, we often talk about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. His basic premise is that, in order for a person to successfully progress through flight lessons (or any other lofty goal for that matter), all of his or her needs must be met, starting with the basic needs for food, shelter, safety, then social belonging, and so on. At the top of the pyramid sits “self-actualization,” or reaching your full potential to do the very thing you were born to do. That could be flying an airplane, writing a book, or running a business. Here’s the kicker: Maslow claims very few people ever reach the pinnacle. They’re just too busy getting those lower needs met.

Was I born to be a pilot and aviation writer? As an instructor, I’ve taught people who can get in an airplane and just intuitively wear it like a glove. It looks effortless as they pick up on each new aviation concept. The flight training experience wasn’t like that for me. I didn’t solo as quickly as some of my peers. It seemed the airplane systems chapter was written in a foreign language. That effortless look? I got there, but it took a whole lot of work. Does that mean I should be doing something else with my efforts? I sure do spend a lot of time at the airport and would hate to find out I was supposed to be serving in a hospital or schoolhouse instead.

In his best-selling book Atomic Habits, performance coach James Clear writes that people should pursue what comes naturally to them. He describes the body type of Olympian Michael Phelps. Phelps is naturally athletic with a long torso, broad shoulders, and shorter legs. Basically, he was born to be a swimmer. Could he have taken that same winning drive and athleticism and turned that body into an Olympic long-distance runner instead? Probably not. He could have been good at it, but not the GOAT.

Does this mean that only left-brained, mechanically minded, physically coordinated people should approach aviation? I don’t think so. I like what novelist Stephen King has to say about the subject in his memoir, On Writing. “Writers form themselves into the pyramid we see in all areas of human talent…At the bottom are the bad ones. Above them are the…competent writers…. Above them—above almost all of us—are the Shakespeares, the Faulkners…They are gifted in a way which is beyond our ability to understand…. While it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.” I think most of us pilots would probably fall into that middle group. We don't just slip into flying like it's second nature. It takes time and sweat to get to a certain level of piloting skill. Maybe we weren't all built to be test pilots or astronauts, but with enough work, I bet most of us can still be pretty good at it, and also fill that airplane-shaped hole in our hearts.

They say you know you’re doing the thing you were born to do when you lose track of time and get caught up in the activity. I hope you feel that way about flying. I know I do. But I also wake up early every morning to write and would not think about stopping if it weren't for the smell of coffee drifting up from the kitchen. Then I sit on the porch with my husband and have a cup and forget all about the time passing until he reminds me, we have to wake up the kids and get everyone on their way. Maybe we were “born” to do lots of things. If the lose-track-of-time test holds true, I was made to be a writer and a pilot and a wife to one irritatingly addictive man. If I had a hundred more lifetimes to explore all the things I’m curious about, maybe I’d find out I was born to do other things, too. But we just don't have that much time. Life’s purpose? When we fly our airplanes and go to work and hug our babies…well, maybe we’re closer than we think.

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