Hub #3 - I Believe I Can Fly

I really hate to confess that I did this. It certainly does not lend to any type of wisdom on my part. No way. Though I was just a kid, I still can't really excuse this type of behavior. I was visiting my favorite aunt (Ethel was her name) and my friend and I decided that we were quite capable of leaving the surly bonds of this earth and fly. Yes, you heard me correctly, fly. We assumed if a bird could take flight with two little wings, there was no reason whatsoever that we couldn't do the same thing. We calculated that, even though we had no wings, we could always use an umbrella. That should work. You know, something similar to Mary Poppins. Right?

With colorful umbrella in hand we made our way to the neighbors house and somehow managed to climb onto the old, somewhat rusty tin roof of the back porch. Can you get this picture in the theater of your mind? Here we were, my friend and I, two very ambitious children to be sure, about to make our mark, achieve our goal, exceed the limits and defy gravity - why, we were going to fly. Who would go first? Who would take the first leap of faith?

I don't recall exactly how it fell my lot to "take this first flight" but I do remember clasping ever so tightly the instrument of choice - the umbrella in my tiny right hand. There sat a bird primly perched on a limb calmly looking on as these two strangers positioned themselves for this great adventure. I wonder what that little bird must have been thinking.

Looking at my friend for a very encouraging nod of affirmation I heard the command, "Jump." With eyes as wide as a saucer I'm sure (now, that may be a slight exaggeration), I did exactly that. Off the roof I went, straight to the ground (no hang time whatsoever), umbrella inside out, and torn skirt flapping in the breeze. It was a crash landing if ever there was one. Thankfully, there were no broken bones. Only a slightly battered ego and a great realization that there had to be a better way to fly.

Now years later, as an aspiring pilot (just for fun) I've realized it takes a lot more than an umbrella to fly. It always amazes me when I see that massive piece of metal (certainly not as light as a feather) called an airplane defying the laws of gravity, overcoming what is called "weight and drag" and actually flying. I've learned taking off into the wind creates the lift you need to soar.

What are your dreams and your goals? What is it in life you really want to accomplish? What is that thing that causes your eyes to twinkle and a spring in your heel when you get up in the morning? In spite of my umbrella disaster I determined a long time ago, I was born to fly. You see, we were created to exceed the limitations that have been imposed on us by others or even those self-imposed ones we seem to assign to our own lives, and climb to the highest summit of true God-ordained success. There are things we must overcome. There are winds of opposition that sometimes blow. But if we tilt "our wings" into the wind, the very thing that would threaten to impede our success becomes the very impetus we need to fly.

If there are things you really want to achieve in life, if you want to soar above the mundane mediocrity of status quo living then consider this:

1. Believe You Can - That's where it starts. You've got to believe that you can have, and you can do and you can be all that God has ordained for you to be. You're ability to believe will determine your ability to achieve and receive. It's like the children's story about the little train attempting to reach the top of the hill saying, "I think I can. I think I can." To be sure, your very words can determine your destiny.
2. Prepare - My mother would often tell me, "Diane, anything worth doing, is worth doing right." Preparation is a vital part to my success. Proper planning is an imperative in the process of achieving your goals. Failing to prepare is simply a set-up for a disaster. Can you imagine a pilot climbing into the cockpit of a plane and never pre-flighting or preparing for the journey? I can tell you now that would be a tragedy in the making.
3. Power-Up - Turn on the power - spiritually (Pray. Read Your Bible. Involve yourself in that Christ created community of believers called the church, share your faith) , emotionally (Avoid toxic relationships, surround yourself with encouragers), physically (yes, exercise and eat right. Enjoy the journey.) and financially (Get out of debt, Start an emergency fund. Save.)
4. Keep Your Focus - Don't allow the daily distractions of life detour you from your purpose and the marvelous plans God has prepared just for you. To be sure, it's not if there will be distractions because they will surely come. As a pilot, keeps his or her eyes on the instruments, we must keep our eyes fixed on our purpose - God's plan for our lives.

Well, the only way I use an umbrella now is when it rains. I certainly don't trust its strength to assist me in the flight of my life. However, I do practice the above four principles every day that I live. To tell you the truth, I really do believe I can fly so fasten your seat belts, prepare for take off.... It's your turn now.