Practice Makes Perfect

“You’re so brave! I could never do that.”

Honestly, I have lost count how many times someone has said this to me, and it is something I still do not know how to respond to. Most times I just smile and say nothing, struggling to find the words to respond.

What amazes me most about this statement is that someone would assume that I don’t feel fear when I am flying. I can tell you right here and now, I do feel fear, often more than not, a lot of it.

The fear I have is out of respect for the aircraft I am flying and my capabilities as a pilot to respond to unexpected situations or aircraft emergencies.

I understand that the aircraft I fly can easily take me out if I don’t respect it, if I don’t understand what the aircraft limitations are. If I haven’t trained myself correctly to deal with them and other unexpected issues I may face during my flight things will not turn out well. When things go wrong, especially in a high powered aircraft, close to the ground, they go bad very quickly.

I believe that this fear is a healthy fear out of respect to what could happen to an underprepared pilot. So how do I control it? How do I deal with it?

I control this fear and I manage the fear because of one thing…………………… PREPARATION!

I have said previously that I suffer from Imposter Syndrome, this has been a huge barrier for me, but one thing that is a massive positive out of suffering from imposter syndrome is that I am a perfectionist on every level, and I over prepare for everything!

The level of preparation you do is something that is completely in your control, there are so many things that can and do go wrong, but if you have prepared for that possibility, you are in a much better place to deal with it when it goes pear shaped.

Remember the saying “Practice makes Perfect”?

In aviation, we practice a lot for all types of situations and unexpected incidents. There really is no truer statement than this when it comes to flying, pilot’s don’t have super human powers, we just prepare and practice – a lot.

But this statement also reflects out on our everyday lives, whether preparing for a school examination, or a work upgrade, piano lessons, learning to drive, it is relative to everything we do in life.

And you know what? It’s ok to be scared, being scared is simply demonstrating a healthy respect for what challenges are ahead of you. The unknown.

I use that fear to motivate myself to go the extra mile and put in the extra work to try and succeed and to be prepared for what may or may not happen. Then I know I am ready for what ever life is going to throw at me.

PREPARATION is the key.

Still scared? That’s ok, it is a natural human emotion, but if you are prepared, or in my case, over prepared, just do it any way and face your fears. Challenge yourself, you will be surprised what you can achieve.