Drive!

I'm on thin ice here........making bold, declarative statements,
but I'm doing so because I want your feedback........

How do you feel when you board an airliner?

I've been airborne more than two full years. I'm certainly not afraid of flying,
and I get to fly commercially two or three times a year.
But as I board I still wonder, "What sort of crew is at the controls of this machine?"

Flying an airliner is "safe as houses", whatever that means.
But you still read about the now-and-then stupid decision......
like the VERY seasoned KLM Captain at Tenerife that started his 747 on takeoff roll in thick fog while another 747 was taxiing on the same runway, resulting in the single worst aviation disaster in history.

I have survived flying helicopters 38 years, including acting as a target for one of those years, partly because I don't take risks while I'm at the controls.
My crews know this, and frequently commend me for it.

When I get aboard an airliner, I hope the folks at the controls have that same attitude toward risk-taking. I'd be very comfortable if they would invite me to come sit up front and observe.......maybe even take the controls and fly the airplane a little. I like to be in control.
Almost by definition, Pilots have to be conceited.....
taking the lives of others into their hands.

Drive........1
I like to drive. When I go somewhere in a car, I like to be the one behind the steering wheel.
I know my skills. I know I am in great health. When I'm at the wheel, I control the risks that are taken between Point A and Point B.
Control is the Big Kahuna........I don't like NOT being in control.

Drive.......2
Ambition.
Motivation.
The desire to make something happen.
I'm not easily bored.
When I begin to be bored, I try to make somethin' happen.
If I don't like what's goin' on around me, I try to change it.
Lotsa folks, including some of my loved ones, get irritated with me because I push. I admit I have a problem with being confident that I'm right, and sometimes what is right for me might not be right for someone else.
But I truly believe in the old Army adage: "Do something, even if it's wrong."
By putting a plan in motion, even if you fail, you learn something.......
what NOT to do next time.
And you know, there is GREAT value learning what doesn't work!
See......we're back to the control thing, aren't we?
By deciding on a plan and trying to make it work, you have control over your circumstances.

Would you call me a "Type A" personality?
Some do. I don't know.......I think I'm pretty laid back most of the time.

But I have never fully understood the "Type B's"......
those folks that mostly sit back and allow life to happen to them......
hoping that what comes their way is good......
being afraid to make a decision because it might fail........
accepting mental or physical abuse as if they deserve it, because it was what "life" handed them.

I've been discussing Co-Dependency with a friend.
I understand the concept, but the self-centered blockhead in me cannot figure out why anyone would allow life to pass by, taking actions that reinforce behaviors that make life worse for both.
Me, I'd be shouting, "I don't like the way this is turning out. Let's do something else!"

I know......it's 'way more complex than that.
So you see, I am trying to understand.
I know it is addictive behavior, and I think we all have some of that.

But.......wouldn't it be better to identify things in your life that are not making your life better, and try something else?
The one that best knows what is best for you, is YOU!

In other words, take control of the wheel of your life and DRIVE!