Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (with apologies to Dr. Seuss)
While most of this space will deal with the serious topics of aviation safety and safety leadership, we should also remember that this job is an adventure. A world-spanning, mind-expanding adventure!
According to the research into generational change, each succeeding group has become less attached to work than their Baby Boomer forebears, so that many people now think of their work as a [disposable] job more than a profession to which they have devoted themselves. I have seen people that are so busy trying to leave work that they forget to enjoy it while they are there. While I have borne some great, life-altering costs in aviation, I have also found great joy in it.
When I left the Marine Corps, I felt well-traveled, having deployed to four countries and vacationed in nine others. Flying air ambulance missions and dangerous goods cargo with Phoenix Air Group certainly changed that count, multiplying it by nearly 10, if one counts only UN member States. When I add Taiwan, Tahiti, and other autonomous or semi-autonomous regions, the count exceeds 140. Just to give you an idea how strange it has been, my last three new countries were North Korea, Sri Lanka, and Somalia. Because people are always doing things for me, my first phrase in any new language is “thank you,” which I can still say in 34 different ways.
The most common question that people ask is “What is your favorite?”, to which I have no answer. They are all so different, including the food, and the same, specifically the people. I have encountered great meals and kindness all over the globe! Having only been in some places for a quick overnight, I had little time for in-depth analyses. A couple of meals and a series of personal interactions were the sum of my experience there, outside of the drives from and to the airport, some of which were adventures all their own. 😲
The key has been to keep my sense of adventure alive, to appreciate the moments as they have occurred, rather than to worry about all of the possible negatives. I was prepared for misadventure, so I did not live in fear of it, as Stoic philosophers have recommended. For me, learning is the greatest adventure, and these travels have more than met that standard.
Don’t become so busy with finding the next thing that you miss the adventure where you are!
#stoicism #dailystoic #businessaviation #speakingofaviationsafety
