The Four Forces of Flight There’s an analogy I want to imprint on your mind today. It’s one I intend to come back to repeatedly as I go about writing my high-flying book. It concerns something known in aviation as the four forces of flight. To give you a quick lesson in aerodynamics, those are … More Stalling: The Aerodynamics of Life
Last Saturday I went to visit an exhibition of photos taken by Vivian Maier, an American photographer who was unknown to me. From the early 50s, she spent over forty years working as a nanny, first in New York and later in Chicago. Only recently, in 2007, her photographic work was discovered. She spent her … More A Lifetime Spent in Anonymity
I recently completed a course on personality theory that I found infinitely fascinating. Today I want to share some thoughts about how this understanding can help us better navigate in the world. You can think of personality as the lens through which we view the world. It functions by filtering the world so we only … More Why Understanding Personality Is Key to Increasing Potential
We’re all looking for that Goldilocks position in life. That ultimate purpose specifically suited to our own unique talents and values. Of course, we want to maximise our potential to do the most possible good. This is why many of us have this gnawing sense that the job we’re in isn’t quite right. We feel … More Where We Are Meant To Be
The search for meaning is inherent in the human being. In Japan there is even a specific word to define the importance of having a purpose in life: Ikigai. The Ikigai refers to the individual motivation, the one that makes us get out of bed every morning and that gives us the joy of living. … More Ikigai: the Search for Meaning
I was talking with some friends the other day about the movie Free Solo. One of my friends breezily remarked that Alex Honnold was crazy for climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a nearly 3,000 foot ascent without ropes, anchors or any other protective gear. Before I watched the movie, I would have agreed. … More Scaling the Walls of Our Dreams
After I wrote that post on Vulnerability last week, I had lunch with my friend Doug. He was the person I mentioned in the post as the friend who’d asked about the blog and then not responded when I shared it with him. Turns out that he’d both read and liked the writing very much … More Backpacks
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? … More Are You Playing To Win or To Avoid Losing?
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
I write to call myself a writer and be called a writer, because that means more to me than words could ever convey. … More Why I Write
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 … More Finding Life Balance Using the Four Forces of Flight
How would you describe your true calling? Do you even believe there is such a thing? I don’t necessarily believe that one has a true calling, however, I believe if we can find something to do that we love – in the service of something greater than ourselves – we can find balance. I look … More Question of the Day: No. 519
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – HOWARD THURMAN (SOURCE: THE LIVING WISDOM OF HOWARD THURMAN: A VISIONARY FOR OUR TIME) I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, ‘what do you mean the ONLY THING the world … More The Only Thing The World Needs From You
By E. L. Jayne One mellow evening, a seemingly miniscule reverie came along that managed to consume my mind. I couldn’t stop contemplating one question: What have I given 100% of everything I had to? Truly, 100%? … More To give, or to not give, 100% of yourself?
The other night, while I was trying to sleep, I started thinking about the post I wrote last week where I stated that hatred is driven – at its core – by a fear of death. I couldn’t shake the idea that I was missing something fundamental. Naturally this started to make me feel a … More Why Everything Scares You To Death
A life is infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things. When you zoom the lens out, when you consider the enormity of existence. A life is but a speck in the vastness of time and space. A life is nothing. It matters not a jot. But when you zoom the lens in, past all of … More The Meaning Of Your Life
Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I had some interesting experiences recently with some people and that brought to my mind the question of how we should see the people who walk into our lives. I tend to think that anything we experience is ultimately good. Some are just good. Some are good by … More If you are in my life, you are good.
By Ellen Jayne | Have you ever had something you based your whole life on taken away from you? … More Finding Another True Love
Life is like a trip. You either choose where you want to go or you’ll be carried away by whatever’s around you. But time doesn’t wait for anybody so if in a trip you’re carried away, you might lose it. This is related to what you want to do in life. For some it’s easy … More What is your reason for… everything?