How courage, focus, and wingmen can help you tackle your fears Three years into my eleven year Air Force flying career, my life changed when I almost died during a scuba diving trip in the Caribbean. Thirty feet under the water and exhausted from excessive use of my arms to swim, I inhaled a full lungful of water and had the most intense panic attack of my life. I literally thought I was going to die. A week later, I found ...

This weekend I gave $5 to a homeless man that looked genuinely down in the dumps. I rarely give money to the homeless as you never know what the money will be used for. But this guy seemed different. He looked around 30 years old and was frail, in dirty, worn out clothes, and was walking slowly with his head down. As I sat in my car, feeling the breeze through the open window while waiting for the ...

Imagine being strapped into a single-seat fighter jet at 25,000 feet above enemy territory. You tear through the pitch-black sky at the speed of sound in a cockpit so small there’s barely enough room to shrug your shoulders. You must maintain laser-like focus as you operate dozens of weapons and sensors and fend off surface-to-air missiles.

When I flew in combat, the risk of failure was always present. I could have an aircraft malfunction, mess up a critical maneuver, or even get shot down. Success was never guaranteed. Success never is. The possibility of failing at something is a beautiful thing. It incites risk and even helps eliminate complacency. When something is at risk, fear, anxiety and doubt can result. But risk also forces you to stretch yourself and grow. It makes you train, focus, ...

Wingmen, If you're like me, there may be times when your IT systems are enough to drive you wingnuts!  You may find your business struggling with costly computer networks that never seem to perform to your expectations, wondering what will happen if your systems break down, or you may even be experiencing losses in productivity, customer confidence, and even employee morale. To deal with these missiles, I leverage a reliable IT wingman (Randy Pelkey in Atlanta) who comes to my office every ...

For every pilot, weather is always a critical factor in flight. Blue skies and perfect visibility are a rarity. Sooner or later, thunderstorms, lightening and turbulence will appear. When this happens, we don’t turn around and head back to base. If we did, we would never reach our target. When bad weather strikes, pilots: 1.  Alter our flight path away from the weather 2.  Seek an altitude that has the least amount of turbulence 3.  Slow down to minimize the ...

Has CEO Tony Hayward Been a Wingman to BP? The BP gulf oil spill is one of the greatest environmental disasters our country has ever experienced. Not only will the long term environmental consequences be felt for years to come, but the price tag for cleaning up the spill will be over $20 billion. Finally, BP, a once reputable giant in the oil industry, is dealing with a $100 billion loss in market valuation and its brand and reputation has taken ...

I love Memorial Day. It’s a holiday to connect with friends and family while paying respect to the soldiers of our great country who have paid the ultimate price so that we can live free.  From the young soldier in the War of Independence, to the fighter pilot over Nazi Germany, to the infantrymen in Iraq and Afghanistan, they were the ultimate wingmen for our country.  They gave their wings away so that we could fly. In our busy, everyday lives, ...

If you want to examine your results for today, last week, or even this past year, take a look at how consistently you took action to make things happen. * How did you act in response to adversity? * What risks did you take? * When did you try something new in business? Something that may have gotten you nervous. * Did you get up early and stay focused, or did you slack off when the going got tough? You see, success isn't necessarily about attitude. ...

Love Lifts; Fear Drags. When you are feeling fearful, full of doubt, and paralyzed, re-focus on what you love. What is it that you are passionate about? Perhaps it is your kids, your faith, the commission check, or your dream retirement home. Hone in on what that is, meditate on it, and let the positive emotion that results shift your mood and lift you up. Then, you'll be ready for action. Remember, you can't take off with your breaks on! Find ...