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"We are the protagonists of our stories called life, and there is no limit to how high we can fly."


PHD. MBA. MHS. Type rated on A350, A330, B777, B747-400, B747-200, B757, B767, B737, B727. International Airline Pilot / Author / Speaker. Dedicated to giving the gift of wings to anyone following their dreams. Supporting Aviation Safety through training, writing, and inspiration. Fighting for Aviation Safety and Airline Employee Advocacy. Safety Culture and SMS change agent.

Monday, February 13, 2012

What Inspires You?

Seriously, what inspires you?


What gives you the drive to wake up each morning and put one foot in front of the other? What force commits you to hours of studying? What propels you to climb out of your warm bed before sunrise preflight your plane? What makes you sit at your computer for endless hours late into the night when your bed is calling your name?

Is it a drive?
Is it dedication?
Is it genetic or learned?
Did you create it, or was it a gift?

What Inspires You?

I'm in the process of writing my next book:

FLIGHT TO SUCCESS, It's all about the Attitude.

Inspiration is huge key to success. I know what inspires me, I'm curious what drives you.

By leaving a comment, you're telling me it's okay for me to quote you in my book. If I use your words of wisdom for my inspiration chapter, I will send you an autographed copy.
To be released in Fall of 2012.

If you could sum it up in a quote of your own, what would you say?

One thing that inspires me is the motivation of others. One of the most motivating stories to me is about a little girl named Lydia, who smiles despite the pain. I've written a few posts with her struggles and her journey. Meet the young lady by looking in the left column: Love for Lydia and read her stories. And for those of you who have been following her, click HERE for her latest update.

Thank you!

Enjoy the Journey~

XOX Karlene



30 comments:

  1. Already? You are a powerhouse, Karlene!
    What inspires me is seeing "ordinary" people doing amazing things that then inspire more people to do some inspirational things of their own! These ordinary people can start a chain reaction to change the world for the better.

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    1. Victoria, Ah... Thank you! I get so much inspiration from people too! Ordinary becoming the extraordinary! They do start that chain reaction. Thank you so much for the GREAT comment!

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  2. I agree with Toriafly/Victoria about being inspired by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

    A lot of people inspire me by what they do for others. They give their lives to save others; they dedicated their efforts in fighting for freedom and what they believe in; they live exemplary lives by giving and making sacrifices; they help the poor and the needy; they invent things and create beautiful art etc. Generally they are the people who inspire me to do the same , and they make the world a wonderful place to live.

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    1. Junying, This is beautiful. Thank you so much for your comment! This is the greatest inspiration for sure... seeing the accomplishments of those sacrificing.

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  3. Interesting. I may not exactly answer the question with this but here it goes.
    It's also funny you ask what inspires me to climb out of bed because I first read this post STILL in bed.

    For me, part of what inspires me is the knowing and the unknowing.

    As pilots we may have this tendency and almost need of knowing and wanting to know, which is a great trait while conducting flight, but maybe not for everything else. Knowing too much may make things boring. Knowing too little may make us afraid. It's the perfect mix of the straight roads and sharp corners I think. Sometimes it's the unknown that makes me want to get up and live life. Not knowing where it'll fall but knowing that no matter what I want to give my all. Eh pardon the rhyme there. :P

    Happy Monday! Happy Week! Happy Flying! Happy Kiss A Pilot Day! :*
    xoxo
    Ramiel

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    1. Ramiel, How wonderful. This is so true. I love it! And, I love the fact you are still in bed reading. I get to start your day with you. Yeah. Have a wonderful day and I'm going to look for a pilot to kiss. ;) Happy Flying and all the other Happys too!

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  4. Life is all about turning the impossible or implausible into fact. Quantum mechanics recognizes this mathematically - all sub atomic experiments cause the "collapse" of multiple probabilities, or world paths, into one - the one that we create. That's not to say that we are controlling and choosing everything that happens to us (although it happens more often that we will admit), but do choose 100% how we will react and feel about it. And that changes the world. And us.

    But only if we get out of bed!

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    1. D.B. That's amazing. I knew we created our realities, I just didn't know that there was a quantum mechanics model behind it. We only have control of how we interpret that stuff that happens. Thanks for your comment!

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  5. What a great question, Karlene.

    What inspires me? Nature.There's something about being out in the natural world that just fills a person with a sense of beauty and peace.

    The other big inspiration for me is small acts of kindness. The little things that come naturally, without a second thought. Someone stopping to ask if they can help a tourist with a map find what they're looking for; someone noticing that someone else has dropped their wallet, or parked in a no-parking tow away zone—and picking up the wallet to give back to them or going to them to tell them about the parking restriction. When I see that I want to pay it forward.

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    1. Linda, that is very inspiring. Imagine is everyone was inspired by simple acts of kindness how much the world would change. Thank you so much for your comment.

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  6. I'm inspired by so many things. The stories I hear, either from music, movies, books, people, or from the characters that come to me. Every part of life inspires me in some way.

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    1. I love this. It's so great to be inspired by so many things. Thanks for your comment!

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  7. I'm inspired by knowing I'm not alone. That's one of the reasons why I love the Friday Fabulous Flyers series. I have volumes of books and blog articles of other people describing their struggles to know I'm not alone. I've learned that "struggle" is a relative term. Mine are small except for the inner voice telling me to be practical. One would think I have all the inspiration I need to complete my instrument rating and other goals in life. The progress is very slow though. In this day, it seems that to be practical is being smart. I need to know that at the end of the journey, the right choices were made. I'm slowly learning by reading other peoples stories that no one I'm insipred by knew the ending or knew that things would work out OK. Maybe some feel things haven't been OK but their personal accomplishments saw them through the tough times even if the accomplishment itself didn't put food on the table. Some need a small push to keep going but it seems I need a bigger and constant push. Once I get that next accomplishment behind me, things should start rolling a little easier.

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    1. Dan, you're not alone. Everyone was right where you are at some point. I too believe inspiration comes from those with similar struggles and they did it... why not us? Sometimes when you're going through life, it's hard to see that everything will work out. You just have to know. Thank you so much for a great comment!

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  8. LIFE inspires me. We are blessed to have a continued place on this earth. Cherish it. Obey it. Love it. Live it. Fly it. -RL 2012.

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  9. Karlene san!!
    I am so looking forward to reading FLIGHT TO SUCCESS in this coming fall,and proud of you working as an airline pilot,and an author!I don't have any quote though I am quite inspired by many people,and things.The person who have passion to do something inspires me a lot.Also The power of "dream" is one I am very inspired.I really want to achieve our dream if I have opportunity.Although I have no idea my future is,at least I want to do my best to learn right now not to regret in the future.
    Oh,also airport,this place is really inspiring place to me.When I was young,I have been dreaming of landing,taxing,and take-off on the runway.
    Best wishes,
    Have a great day,
    Jun

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    1. Jun, you are in a very inspirational place. And your power of dreams, and achievement are all very inspirational quotes. Thank you!

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  10. I keep my eyes and my ears wide open and let my brain soak up the wonders of the outside world, and then turn them into my own ideas. I learn from my own mistakes and that's another source of inspiration. I let myself feel and experiment, and then gather up what I've learned and turn it into another source of inspiration. Goal-driven people inspire me. Music inspires me. Books and paintings inspire me. So, to be honest, I find inspiration everywhere.

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    1. Oh Angela, what an incredible way to live life. Curiosity is essential to the flavor of life. You live like the joy of a child for the first time. How wonderful! You inspire me!
      Thank you!

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  11. I have many inspirations in life, and the sign of a new one is goose bumps forming on my skin. My biggest and most influential inspiration is seeing planes flying over me in the sky. When I see this, I constantly imagine everything that is occurring both in the flight deck and in the cabin. When I look up into the vast blue sky, more often than not obscured by clouds in Ireland, I see pilots that have made their dream come true. I see pilots who could have easily dismissed their training and have taken an 'easier' job with less responsibilities and commitment. The fact that they have succeeded makes me want to start my training as soon as possible and be an inspiration to others who are aspiring to be airline pilots.

    Another thing that inspires me is an act of kindness that improves someone's day. For me, giving a gift is better than receiving one as I know that I am responsible for the smile on that person's face and the emotions that they are currently experiencing. It is an amazing feeling to brighten up someone's day and know that you have improved their life for the better.

    Aside from that, inspiration can be found simply anywhere. It completely depends upon the personality of a human and their interests.

    Thanks Karlene!

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    1. Aisling, you are going to be a pilot. It's in your soul. That completely inspires me. I agree on the gift too. That's the most fun to give and see joy. As I've told you before, you've been a great inspiration for me. Thank you! Keep that joy and passion always.

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  12. The smell of avgas being blown in your face from an engine starting in the next row. Flying so early that we touch down just as the sun rises. Night cross-countries under clear skies sprinkled with stars. Suddenly breaking through the top of a solid overcast layer to see the sun - and knowing that no one on the ground will see it that day. Shooting an instrument approach down to minimums with total confidence in what's going on. Milkshakes at a seaside airport with my favorite instructor. Laughing aloud because of the sheer joy of flying and thinking, at any point, "This is so COOL."

    Initially, I was inspired to take up flying because I watched four amazing women at an air show: Julie Clark, Jill Long, Jessica Cox, and Amanda Franklin. I honestly did not think I would be able to do it; I didn't know the first thing about planes, and they seemed hopelessly complicated and scary for most of the first few weeks of my training. Even so, the fact that I could take the controls and not instantly crash was more fun than I could stand. I spent a day and a half before every lesson being terrified, but as soon as the wheels left the runway, life was better.

    I trained with several different instructors over a short period of time. Every one of them made me feel like I was good at what I was doing, and they obviously trusted me enough to keep flying with me, which gave me confidence I desperately needed. Numerous times, I got discouraged; I thought I was never going to get my license. What kept me going? The thought of being able to fly a Dreamliner someday helped, but then as I started getting involved in aviation as a community, I realized I just loved being around other people who shared my addiction to all things airplane. I learned a lot through my training, but I learned even more by going on adventures to other airports and learning all their little quirks.

    Aviation is unique in that it can both act as a source of inspiration and create a serious need for it. It's hard to pick yourself up after something happens, whether it's as big as an accident or as small as watching an instructor leave for an airline. But other people have done it, and so can you. Sometimes it means taking a step back to rediscover your inspiration and remember why you started flying in the first place.

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    1. Life is not all red carpets and pianos... someone told me that once. You're driven by inspiration. Chains on with heartbreak. That just means you experience and live life with great passion. Remember... we can't win everything. Even Bam Bam dies in the Big Miracle. But life goes on and you do everything you can. Stay inspired!

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  13. What inspires me is the feeling of doing well. I have found that I get such a great feeling of accomplishment from achieving my goals, from doing well on some sort of test in life, or just doing a good job at whatever I set out to do, be it a project or my job, or anything else. I am inspired by quiet recognition. I don't want the world to know how I've done, or how I've failed, but I want the people involved in whatever I'm doing to know because of their own observations. And I want people to see that they can do well too. That anyone can accomplish whatever they want to if they just set their mind to it. My inspiration comes from watching people that have set a goal and followed through with it, doing the best of their abilities in the process. My inspiration is doing this for my own well-being. And my inspiration is inspiring others to follow through with their goals.

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  14. Daniel, you are an inspiration. This is great... so many people look out for their inspiration. If we can dig deep within, and look at ourselves, we can always be inspired. Thanks for your comment. I love it.

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  15. I am inspired by people who have the courage to live their lives the way they feel is right, even if others think they are being foolish or just don't agree with their choices. I am inspired by people who are always smiling, even if they are hurting. It's as if the act of smiling makes the pain easier to bear, both for them and for the others who suffer through it with them.

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    1. Meredith, I love this so much. I have to say, when I watched the help... that woman who wrote the story inspired me to go forward with my story, without fear or what my company would do to me. I was inspired. And watching those in pain, or life crisis, who just go forward... wow. Yes, this is it. Is there a central theme for inspiration? I'm thinking yes.

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  16. Inspiration is everywhere if you have make a positive outlook part of everything you say and do. Recently the generosity of others has got me amped up. When I see people who are super busy and busting their tails take the time to help someone else, it creates an ear-to-ear smile on my face! Simply witnessing an "attitude of gratitude" makes me want to help out.

    Being a quadriplegic, asking for help is a not so fun part of my life. Brian is a friend of mine from high school who runs a schedule that would make most of us drop. Many people operating these long hours love to tell you about how busy they are, and that they would help, but don't have time. In my eyes Brian is the definition of selfless. No matter what he has going on, if something needs to be done, he does it just to help. Now between his job at the cherry orchard, the parent's farm, volunteer ambulance class, cooking at school functions, and his duties as a new husband, I know how busy he is. All it took was a phone call tonight to ask if he could drive me around tomorrow morning, and he replied, "Well, I think we can fit that in". Generosity is free, and I believe it is also contagious.

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    1. Jake, You have me grinning right now. It's all about choice. Even the most difficult circumstance, like yours, we have a choice to have that positive outlook.

      Your friend Brian is truly a gift. What drives a man like that? Ask him. I would love to know what inspires him. But I suspect it might be you. Thanks for the comment!

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