There comes a moment when you have to make a choice. You either fly or you don’t.  New situations can cause even the most confident person to get butterflies in your stomach!

I remember in college when I was learning to fly an airplane. On take-off, the door to the two seater Cessna flew open. In horror and fear I asked the instructor, “What do I do?” His calm response was simply “fly the plane!” Once we had finally leveled off he told me that now was the time to shut the door. Since I was wearing a seatbelt, there was no way I was going to fall out, so the most important thing was to focus on flying the plane.

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Sometimes you just have to Fly the Plane

If you ever ridden a roller coaster you know the feeling I’m describing – the click click click as you climb to the highest part of the roller coaster. You know there’s only one option when you get to the top – you have to go down! There’s no getting off spot or place for indecision – you just keep on following the track.

Do you remember the feeling the first time your child was old enough to ride their bike around the block on their own? I do. I stood in the driveway as my son took off on his first solo bike ride. I knew there were only two options: let him grow up or keep him a baby forever. There really wasn’t much of a choice.

I remember when I started a new job. There was that moment when my boss set me loose on my first solo project. It was time for her to trust my training and let me fly solo. My only option was to succeed or fail.

Sometimes it’s tough to grow up, go out on your own or experience new things. But if you have done the training, prepared your children, and done your homework, you know it’s time to let go and just fly.

A popular song by Little Mix says it clearly: Mama told me not to waste my life, She said spread your wings my little butterfly; Don’t let what they say keep you up at night, And they can’t detain you; ‘Cause wings are made to fly.

3 Tips to help us Thrive in new Situations!

Trust your Training:

Sometimes you have to take a step out into the unknown and trust your training. Have you done your homework and prepared for a new experience? Then just step out and do it! Don’t spend time worrying about what you might have missed in your prep work, just move forward with confidence.

Build a Support Network:

No matter how much you prepare for new adventures in life, you will need a support network behind you. Whether it’s your family, spouse, kids, friends or colleagues, develop a network of people who believe in you and are ready to stand with you as you learn to fly on a new adventure.

Understand that failures are going to happen:

It would be nice to think that everything we attempt would work out and bring success; but life is not like that. Many times we learn best when something doesn’t happen like we plan. Take the disappointments and figure out how to twist them into a better tomorrow.

Just Fly! It’s not always easy to have self-confidence and fly in new situations. Sometimes we will doubt ourselves and our abilities.

But in the end, the people who succeed at life are the ones who just fly!

When have you found yourself in a situation where you just had to choose to fly instead of crash? Got any tips to share?

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Heading into a new situation and need a little boost to help you make a good first impression? Check out these tips!