When I was about 8 years old, my family and I went over to our next-door neighbour’s house for dinner. After dinner, their daughter offered me a sweetie. So, she led me into her room and opened up her “sweetie draw.” What she had done was save up her sweets over months and months to fill this draw with all of her favourite goodies. It … Continue reading The Sweetie Draw
Let me ask you a question. When you play a game, when you embark on a project, when you go to work, when you get up in the morning, when you sit down to write, when you make a presentation, when you have to do anything, Are you playing to win or to avoid losing? If you’re wondering what the difference is, when you play … Continue reading Are You Playing To Win or To Avoid Losing?
Today is your last day on earth. How are you going to spend it? What are you going to say? What will you let go of? I look forward to hearing your answers. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com You can also find him on Medium at: https://anxiouspilot2.medium.com Or on Twitter at: @AnxiousPilot Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 545
The Parable of the Second Arrow According to the Buddha, any time we suffer misfortune, two arrows fly our way. The first arrow is the bad event itself, which certainly can (and often does) cause pain. The second arrow is our reaction to the bad event, the suffering we attach to our pain. This secondary pain, he tells us, is always self-inflicted. What you might not have been told, however, … Continue reading Escaping the Emotional Rabbit Hole
Here are a couple question I’m keen to get your thoughts on: What are your most important values and why? How do you live up to them? I look forward to hearing your answers. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com You can also find him on Medium at: https://anxiouspilot2.medium.com Or on Twitter at: @AnxiousPilot Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 543
In aviation we have a term called AOG that means Aircraft on Ground. It refers to a plane that can’t fly because of a technical issue. We might also say a pilot is grounded because of a disciplinary issue, or that passengers are grounded because of weather. In all cases, the term indicates an inability to fly. We might also use examples in real life. … Continue reading Grounded
I write to call myself a writer and be called a writer, because that means more to me than words could ever convey. Continue reading Why I Write
I’ve been staring at a blank screen for the past hour or so. Ok, that’s not true. I’ve actually been staring at several non-blank screens in an effort to keep me from staring at the one blank screen I should. So, I decided to post another question of the day. Here it is: What tactics do you use to overcome procrastination? Also, do you find … Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 542
Do you feel like the weight of responsibility is keeping you grounded? Or the sheer drag of life is forcing on the brakes? Do you find it hard to muster the requisite lift and thrust to overcome these forces in life? Of course, we’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days where everything has felt like one big drag, where the simple act of … Continue reading Finding Life Balance Using the Four Forces of Flight
“Misfortune weighs most heavily on those who expect nothing but good fortune.” – Seneca Have you ever noticed how we’re taught that our wants and desires have everything to do with our suffering, yet we’re also taught to “live in hope”? Have you ever stopped to consider how these messages might muddy the waters? You see it all over the blogosphere, of course. “Don’t give … Continue reading Why You Shouldn’t Hope for the Best
Here’s a fun question for a Friday afternoon: If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be and why? Top marks for the best one. As a pilot, one who has struggled with both depression and anxiety, I would call mine Clear Air Turbulence. In case you were wondering, it’s an aviation term defined as “the turbulent movement of air masses … Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 539
“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” ― CARL JUNG I spent most of my adult life trying to avoid suffering. It made everything worse. I spent my days waiting, hoping for my knight in shining armour. The funny thing is she existed, I just didn’t have the courage to ask her for help. I was too afraid to … Continue reading Angels and Demons
The other night I got into a pointless argument with someone after they decided to leave a comment on one of my older posts telling me that I should have my head examined. (A fair point in retrospect.) She said that Trump is a true American unlike Biden who is a horrible person. Naturally, she went on to say the election had been rigged. Now, I should … Continue reading Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Here’s a question for discussion: Is ego really the enemy? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. *** You can find AP2’s personal blog here at: https://clear-air-turbulence.com Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 537
A couple of weeks ago, just past midnight on July 5th, I took off out of Hong Kong, flew across the Pacific Ocean, crossed the International date line and arrived in Los Angeles at 10pm on July 4th. There are few approaches during my ten year career I can think as memorable as that one. It was like descending into a war zone. Thousands upon … Continue reading Homesick
There’s a big difference between shame and guilt. Guilt is the feeling you get when you did something wrong, or perceived you did something wrong, whereas shame is a feeling that your whole self is wrong – a belief that you’re a bad person, or unworthy as an individual. Now, guilt isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be a useful emotion designed to help … Continue reading A Crying Shame
I was watching an interview with John Cleese recently and he said something that got me thinking. When asked about his creative process he said, “You cannot bully the subconscious. It simply doesn’t work.” He went on to say that his best work always happened spontaneously. He still had a process of course, it’s just that the muse didn’t always play ball. Often the work … Continue reading How To Unlock Your Creative Genius
Apparently most of us have a default level of happiness. No mater what our station is in life, we are all slightly dissatisfied. Slightly. Life is just never quite good enough, even when it really is. This default happiness level readjusts depending on your circumstances. Even if something great happens to you, like winning the lottery, you soon get over it and return to that … Continue reading The Pursuit Of Unhappiness
I had an ulterior motive last week when I asked what advice you would give your former self if you could go back in time. Truthfully I’m at something of a crossroads in my own life. I have a difficult decision to make and I’m not sure what my next step should be. It got me thinking, if only my future self could come back … Continue reading 9 Pieces Of Indispensable Life Advice From Your Future Self
Here’s a question for you: If you could go back in time, say 10 or 20 years, and give yourself some advice, what would you say? If I went back ten years or so, I would tell myself that the change you are looking for comes from accepting who you already are. I would also tell him there is no shame in asking for help. … Continue reading Question of the Day: No. 528
