A Lesson from Amelia Earhart

I was listening to the book “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. I highly recommend listening to it (it is on Spotify) or buy a copy and read it.

In the book he tells the story of Amelia Earhart. Amelia was an American aviation pioneer and probably the most famous female pilot in history. In 1932 she became the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. On July 2nd, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while trying to become the first female pilot to fly around the world.

Ryan Holiday was highlighting her in his book because of he was highlighting the importance of action in overcoming the obstacles that get in our way when we are pursuing something big. In the book he shares the quote below which she had painted on the side of her plane:

Now, I know most of you have probably never flown a plane. So, just realize if you have an issue with your plane while in the air, you can’t just pull over to the side and stop like we can in a car. If she had a problem while flying, she had to keep the stick forward while she is processing through the solution to her problem.

The first challenge I see all of the student athletes that I work with face, is just getting started. They overthink things. They want to have all the answers figured out before they start. They want to know that they will be successful before they start. My words to them are always the same…JUST GET STARTED! We’ll figure all of the rest of it out as you go. So just like Amelia Earhart, you need to THINK WITH YOUR STICK FORWARD!

JOURNAL ACTIVITY

How can you embrace the mindset of “Always Think With Your Stick Forward” when it comes to the pursuit of your goals?

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