Monday Motivation: Focus

Focus  

“Focus on where you want to go,  

Not on the fear of failure
or the runway left behind.” 

 Karlene

Focus: The Power Within 

Successful people bathe in the power of focus. They grasp the challenges of life and use them to their benefit. They focus on the picture the 3000 pieces will create after they solve the puzzle. Not on the difficulty. They have the ability to thread their mind through the eye of a needle and sew their life together in a tapestry of perfection. Pilots know that each test they face is one that will strengthen their wings enabling them to soar higher.

Challenges—Nobody is exempt from a rainy day.

A successful person knows where to focus. Pilots know how to fly in the rain. They use the water to grow and nurture their life and talents. They have the wisdom to know that the rain will not last forever, and they use this time to regroup, rebuild, and strengthen their wings. They do not focus on the pain of getting wet and being locked inside, nor do they complain the rain will never end. Successful people know it will. Pilots wait out the rainy days while they study for their instrument rating. If the storm lasts a little longer than they had hoped, they are ready to fly through the cloudy days.

 

Shift the Focus—change your state.

Successful people know that all a blue day needs is a splash of red to turn it purple. Pilots look forward to the blue days, knowing they are far and few between. Successful people know that whatever is bothering them, they can change their feelings by shifting their focus. They can turn sadness into joy. If pilots have a bad day they take off and leave their problems behind.

 

Shift your focus to anything other than what plagues you. 

Sing, paint, run, read, and get out of your mind. Pilots know how to leave their problems on the ground. They know how to navigate the weather. They know how to spread their wings and fly, even on the darkest days. They also have the wisdom to wait out the greatest storms, because they do not last forever. 

 

Focus on the solution, not on the problem.

Successful people do not see problems—they see challenges with solutions. A challenge provides opportunities to learn and grow. Pilots know that problems drown a person in negativity, but a challenge teaches them how to fly.

When a pilot loses an engine, they do not focus on the failure. They focus on how to restart their engine, and where to land. Pilots focus on the solution, not the problem.

Worry—The antichrist to Focus.

Worrying about what has happened before, prevents success of the future. A pilot never focuses on the runway left behind. A successful person lives in the now, and focuses on the present. That is why they call it a gift. 

Single-minded focus—The key to Success.

Successful people know that the only reason they will fail is by allowing their mind to drift to someplace other than the task at hand. Pilots possess the technical skills to fly their plane despite what happens en-route. They know how to focus on the task. If they experience something new, they focus on how to handle the experience and create a solution, not on the fear of the unknown.

If a pilot’s mind wanders to what if I don't succeed, instead of flying the plane, they have just taken their focus from where they want to go, to fear. Pilots do not fly in fear. They fly in confidence with decisive direction.

Be the Captain of your Life 

Focus on the success you deserve,

And achieve it.  

Andy Schwaderer

Friday Fabulous Flyer

 Andy Schwaderer

Major Andrew Schwaderer—Andy—is a C-17 pilot who is just finishing his Active Duty pilot commitment, and will start with the Reserves this winter.  One of his dreams is to fly as a captain at a major airline and I have no doubt he will make that dream come true. He is a leader in every sense of the word.

Andy entered the service in 2001 as a graduate of ROTC from the University of St Thomas, St Paul MN.  He holds degrees in the Russian Language and Political Science.  He has over 3400 hours in 6+ aircraft to include the C-17A, RQ-4A/B, T-1A, T-37—A the majority of which was on the C-17A.  He has flown combat missions over Iraq, the Horn of Africa and Afghanistan.

 

Awards he has earned: Meritorious Service Medal. Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster. Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. Air Force Achievement Medal. 

 

 I had asked Andy where his aviation dream started, and this is what he said…

“I grew up in the north woods of Minnesota, about an hour and a half west of Duluth.  There was a reconnaissance F-4 unit stationed there at that time, and they would do training missions over our lake--basically drop down below tree line and practice taking photos of a floating dock that was at one end. 

When I was 4, I remember watching one come in low across the lake, seemingly powered by black smudge, and then scream overhead.  The noise was on the scale of a NASA rocket launch, seeing this blur jet overhead was such a powerful experience.  I was hooked—from that point on I spent my free time building jet models, reading about aviation, and pondering what a life in the clouds would be like.”

Andy at 6-years-old

Andy also told me he is a writer of short stories. His words paint pictures and I could feel myself standing with that little 4-year-old boy watching the jet fly overhead. That moment in his life, had changed his life. It pointed him down a path that took him into the sky filled with much success.

But with success, there are failures. With struggles we reap rewards. With each day come new challenges. I love to know what drives a person, and how they deal with life. Our attitude is all we have control over, and Andy has the attitude thing figured out.  A good trait for a pilot.

 

“The greatest rewards for me are working with amazing professionals—the people make this business extraordinary.  The challenges are part of the appeal—you just do not know what will happen, quickly, at any point.  It forces you to be on your best game at all times.  Makes you realize you're part of something far, far larger than yourself.  The travel is also a great part of the reward!  

 

 An amazing feeling to be larger than yourself—it puts the ego in check, and makes you human. Flying in Iraq and Afghanistan made for some interesting missions for Andy. He calls them ‘tense flights’ I call them a huge dose of reality. I can only imagine that experience, as I write from the comfort of my home.

“Some of the more tense flights are carrying wounded out of the combat zone. We try to make the flights as comfortable and efficient as possible of course, and the more serious trauma and burn victims will have dedicated attendees during the course of the flight. Those are always tense because there are few divert options in the event the patient's condition worsens. Not being able to help while someone slowly succumbs is among the worst memories of my career.” 

 

“The other tense times are trying to get into a strange airport, like a dirt field in northern Afghanistan, or one that is extremely busy, like Frankfurt International in Germany. Every 30-seconds they have a plane departing or landing, and there is zero room for error when they give you instructions. Combine that with the German air controllers' strange sense of humor and you get instructions to state remaining fuel onboard, so they know how long they can force you to hold in the penalty box. I've heard other planes get sent to the penalty box (what we simply call having to hold position by doing endless circles) because they didn't respond to their call sign, or for falsely responding when the controller was calling someone else.”

 
When Andy is not on the road he enjoys writing, and we already know he can through his words on this page. Add Musing and Amusing to your aviation blog list. Such a fun read.

Please join me in welcoming Andy on his re-entry into the civilian world, and his continued success on all his missions in life. Andy, I also want to thank you for serving our country and keeping the laughter alive on your blog. You just keep giving, and remind me that we can all find something to smile about. Today I am smiling at the good fortune to have met you.

Enjoy the Journey!

XO Karlene

BALANCE

During this week of Yoga, I set my intention on Balance. Not only for finding a flow to balance my life with family, work, writing, social media, emails, remodels, etc., But to balance my physical self.

30 years ago I was misdiagnosed with osteomyelitis. I had arthritis due to my Type-A personality, hard charging, and not eating right.  Long story short 26-years later I had a hip replacement due to the doctors draining fluid out of my hip. A year after my surgery, the Doctors said my spine was fused, my hips were rotated sideways and forward... and that I could do nothing. I have spent the previous three years looking for a solution.

How this manifested in my body was, I appeared to have a 2 inch difference in leg-lengths. Yoga was the only thing that helped relieve the pain because of this crooked standing, and walking. Somehow work and writing, (and the YMCA cancelling of my 5 am yoga class) shifted my yoga path for awhile. Now I'm back and committed to make this a daily way of life.

 

The GREAT news is, I met Sarah, one of the miracle workers, on this retreat. We had a 90 minute TRAGER session yesterday. I stood up from the table, and the first time since surgery I could stand with both feet directly under my body. Actually, this is the first time in 30 years that I can stand level. She showed me how to work with my body so when my muscle memory pulls the hips back to what they were doing for so long, I can work with it and get back to level. Amazing. Last night I was sore. But today I'm doing WATSU to continue with the work.

I decided that we need a new modality of exercise that combines both Yoga and Trager. So I created, Tragoya. Now I need to take the steps to get trained... and I will.

But first I'm flying to Florida to do bounces October 26-28. It may just be a simulator, but I'll get to fly~

Enjoy the Journey!

XOX Karlene