1. Documentary I watched this week…
I watched the documentary The Blue Angels, and it was awesome. I’ve been impressed, intrigued, and in awe of the Blue Angels since first seeing them when I was a little kid at the Cleveland Air Show. Absolutely incredible! The speed, precision, talent, and sheer guts these pilots have is so impressive. To see some of the behind-the-scenes details in this documentary only increased my admiration for the Blue Angels. As a pilot myself, I know what it takes to fly an airplane, and I know that air traffic control keeps aircrafts miles apart for safety reason. So, to know that the Blue Angels fly as close as 18 inches… at over 400 miles an hour is mind-blowing. 18 INCHES!!! I really, really appreciated how these pilots work as a team, emphasize trust in one another, practice non-stop, use visualization, and commit to sheer excellence. One quote I loved from their lead pilot in this documentary, Captain Brian Kesselring… “Our goal at the beginning of the season is the tireless pursuit of perfection. And I think a lot of it comes down to just not being satisfied, knowing that there’s a next level.” See the trailer below…
2. Two words I DON’T love…
I occasionally post words that I love, words that carry a lot of weight, have power, and mean a lot to me. I heard a couple of words several times this past week that I DO NOT love… and those words are… good enough. Good enough is better than bad, but good enough means that whatever it is you are referring to is just above bad. There is so many levels above good enough, that you CANNOT settle for just good enough. If you’re doing a job and finish with the idea that the outcome is good enough, that is NOT the place to stop. ANYTHING you do in life needs to better than just good enough. Whether it’s your job, your finances, your relationships, marriage, health, or body, if asked what you think about any of those, and your answer is good enough, you need to strive for more. Shoot for the next level, whether that is better, much better, good, really good, excellent, outstanding, superb, or perfect. Good enough is only good enough for a short time… when you’re going from bad and better… but a good rule of thumb is that good enough is NOT good enough!
3. Interesting story I heard recently…
It is said that Alexander the Great had three wishes on his deathbed… 1. That only his physicians carry his coffin, 2. That the path to his grave be strewn with the gold, silver, and precious stones that he acquired, and, 3. Both his hands be kept dangling out of the coffin. When asked why such odd requests, Alexander told them he wanted the people to see that… 1. Even the best and brightest physicians cannot prevent death, 2. No matter how much material wealth you acquire, it stays here on earth, and you leave it all behind, and, 3. We come into this world empty-handed, and we leave empty-handed. His emphasis was that time is our most precious and valuable asset, and that we need to be conscious and considerate with our use of and appreciation for the time we have. See a quick (not-very-impressively-done) video clip below about Alexander the Great’s last three wishes…