GETTING READY
February 1, 2021
Now that there is a Covid vaccine in the wings, I am getting the same feelings that I once got prior to jumping out of an airplane for the first time. As a young, bullet proof pilot, I would hear people say, “Who would ever want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” That was all it took for me to say, “I would.” Back then there were no tandem jumps. All you had to do to qualify to jump out of an airplane was to attend a short weekend instruction class and you were good to go. I got through the class and then due to weather delays it was a several weeks before I was able to make my jump. The weather delays made me to want to make the jump even more. By the time a good weather weekend arrived, I was so psyched to make the jump I would’ve jumped without a parachute! I made the jump during great weather and marked one more item off my bucket list.
We begin a new year with hopes of getting vaccinated and being able to return to a “new normal” life. I am ready. I long to freely be around those I care about, who I appreciate now more than ever. The other day I heard a minister share his thoughts on how we should get ready for anything in our lives and how to get from simply existing to thriving. I would like to share with you my take on what I thought I learned about the three H’s.
THE THREE H’S
HEAD: Each day we have a decision to make in our head. Are we going to be positive or are we going to be negative? We have to make a choice. Are we going to thrive or just survive? Do we have purpose or are we just simply going to exist? It all starts in our head, even before we get out of bed.
HEART: We need to listen to what’s in our heart. What is our inner self telling us we should consider? If we decide that we are going to thrive, what is it that we are going to do? What is our inner self telling us that we need to do? What do we want to do?
HAND: How are we going to put our hands in action to do what is in our heart? Are we going to just think about things or are we going to do what it takes to follow our heart and/or head? Getting started requires us to engage the use of our feet and hands to move forward. We have to take action!
Here’s how it worked for me deciding to make the jump:
Head: I had to decide what I wanted to do with my time. Did I just want to go with the flow or did I want to do something different? Did I want to change my daily routine and disrupt my life by taking on more and having to learn something new?
Heart: Of all the things in the world, what did I want to do with my time, if anything? What would lead me toward my goal of a life with “no regrets,” if that is humanly possible? What did my inner self tell me about jumping that would be fun, meaningful and worth the risk?
Hand: I had to use my hands to make the phone call to schedule my jump class. I then had to use my feet to get me to the class. I had to persevere and wait for the weather to clear up so I could jump. There were times when I thought about not following up, but I showed up after several stormy weekends. Last of all, I had to release my clinched hands that were holding on to the airplane wing strut. The easy part was the beautiful ride and landing with a sense of accomplishment.
We go through this process throughout our days without thinking about it. Maybe the last several months have helped us get ready in all aspects our lives. Know that I am ready with God’s favor!
Written by KING AEROSPACE Founder, Jerry Allan King-Echevarria.