Only Those With Courage Win
"What good does it do to be afraid? It doesn't help anything.
You better try and figure out what's happening and correct
it."
- Chuck Yeager
Pilot
It was a
clear October day on the Mojave Desert in 1947 when 24 year old Charles Elwood
"Chuck" Yeager boarded his rocket-powered test plan, the Glamorous
Glennis. This would be the third of the
test flights which started on August 29, 1947.
During the last test, the plan shook so badly that Yeager dumped all the
fuel as he tried to regain control of the plan.
He did bring it to a safe landing in the desert. Just two day before this last test, Chuck
Yeager and his wife were horseback riding and he was thrown from the
horse. Knowing that he had broke two
ribs and would not be allowed to fly if it was discovered, he went to an out of
town Doctor to be taped up.
Boarding the plan, Yeager had to
close the side door with a broom handle since he could not turn to do it by
hand. The plan was dropped from a B-29 and he was able get control of
the plan quickly as it rocked across the desert. Not long after he began his flight, the
control base hear a loud "crack".
It was not the plan crashing but the sound of the sound barrier being
broken. Yeager was the first man to fly
faster than the speed of sound and flew his way into history.
Since that day of October 14,
1947, men have not only flown faster than Chuck Yeager, but human kind have conquered
the boundaries of space and have been on the moon itself. What was once thought impossible was once
again proven to not only be possible but the entry to even greater things to
come.
We all face the impossible in
our life. Your dreams may at times seem
to be so far away that you think you can never see them realized, but you are
so mistaken. Here are a couple of things
we can learn from Chuck Yeager and his amazing flight.
1) Be ready for when your time
comes
Chuck Yeager did not just jump
into a plan and fly fast. He prepared
for this flight long before it ever happened, in fact, he was ready before he
even knew he would be in the plan.
Yeager was a trained pilot who did not stop at his title. He wanted to do what others could not or
would not do, he became a test pilot.
What is that you are doing? Have
you thought of how you can do more?
Learn all you can. Take risks and
go beyond what you or others believe is possible.
2) Do not allow setbacks to stop
you
The first two tests of the plan
did not succeed as Yeager had hoped, however, he did not allow these setbacks
to force him to quite or put the third - the successful - flight off. Even a case of broken ribs did not cause him
to stop. How far will you go in order to
achieve your goals. I can tell you this,
the person who stops, no matter what the reason, will never taste success.
3) Have the courage to do what has
not been done
Chuck Yeager had heard of all
the warning against what he was trying to do.
He knew that he could be putting his very life on the line. However, his passion to succeed, his desire
to achieve what no human had done before was so great, all he could see was
victory. There was no failure for Chuck
Yeager. That is what we too must do in
order to achieve the victory in life we desire.
Only those who will go the distance, have courage to do the unknown and
never quite will be the ones who experience true success.
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