People are going to tell you can’t do it, that you are not good enough, that you are wasting your time and money or that it was fun for a while but maybe you should get back to reality.
These people don’t understand. They don’t get the reason why you started this journey in the first place. Some may have flown and others may have even experienced a couple flights in small aircraft on a vacation - however, they can’t see it.
“To most people, the sky is the limit. To pilots the sky is home.” –Unknown
They don’t understand the feeling you get prepping the plane, starting the engine, smelling the exhaust and taxing out. They don’t understand the feeling when you rev the engine by your own hand and roll down that runway. The intense feeling of pulling back on the stick and being released into the clouds.
It’s going to be hard and it is hard.
Studying, flying - repeating. It will test you and you will feel that you are not good enough and that you will fail. That you are wasting your time. You will start to believe all of that which other people are have been telling you. Doubt will sink in and you will question your decision. You will think of the money and time it will take to finish. You will start thinking of excuses to slow your training.
STOP
You can do this. You will do this.
You can fight through the pain, the fear, and the doubt.
You are smart enough, you are brave enough and you have what it takes to push through. Yes, it is hard and yes there is a price but nothing will beat that feeling when you achieve your dream. Nothing will be able to meet that accomplishment.
Stop making excuses. Don’t let the doubt win.
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” -Pele
No matter how old you are, how many times you read over the same sentence in your book and don’t understand it, no matter how rough the air is around your plane and how scared you get – don’t give up.
If you doubt yourself, pull out this letter. Read it. Read it multiple times until you believe it. You can do this because
You Are a Pilot.
