How BIG is your dream?

I came from a poor family. I didn’t know much about life except that I had to study hard and do well in school as taught to me by my parents. It was ingrained in me that the only way to get a better quality of life is through good education.

Due to poor family background also, my mother didn’t have the chance to further her studies beyond primary school. Nonetheless, she realized the importance of good education that she spent lots of effort deciding which school was best for me.

And so I just followed what was arranged for me. I seized the opportunity to do well in good schools. As I grew up, the idea of doing well in schools will fetch me a good job in the future was deeply entrenched in my mind. I also came to realize that working for an airline pays well too.


(Don’t believe me? Click on the following links:

http://www.cathaypacific.com/careers/en/choices/0,,128402,00.html

http://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/index.asp?cid=EKGCREF_INT_NA_EKCOM_LINK_MENU_EN1

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/company_info/careers/tech_crew.jsp )


Becoming a pilot was my dream then. I didn’t think much. All I wanted to do was to prepare myself to be a pilot. I studied science and aviation related modules in schools so that I could stand a better chance of being hired. (I realized later that I didn’t need a university degree to be a pilot.) I am now where I wanted to be since young.

Was my childhood dream a BIG dream? It was, considering the fact that I took 17 years of education plus 3 years of flying training to realize the dream. So where do I go from here? I can very well be contented with what I have and live happily ever after. Or I can find another dream and work hard again to achieve that dream. And I have concluded the latter gives me more satisfaction and meaning to life.

Through talking to people and reading, I have come across a lot of people with much bigger dreams than mine. I have met a German boss who owns and flies his own private jet to attend meetings. He is also able to fly a helicopter carrying friends up to a mountain resort for lunch, prepared for them by his private chef. I have been flying 'other people’s aircrafts'. Will I be able to fly one of my own one day?

I have also come across retirees who are in their late forties whose dreams are to build a second business to leave a legacy. There is also a lady whom I met whose dream is to build an income source for an orphanage. Just two days ago, a featured article in the newspapers highlighting the boom in private banking sector catering to ultra-high networth individuals’ philanthropic needs. Can I be one of these ultra-high networth individuals?

After much soul searching, I have raised the bar higher just like taking part in high jump in the Olympics. I have decided that I should aim to retire early, as early as the age of 45. (Retire doesn't mean stop working. Confused? Read my next post.) I am not going reveal to you how much time I have to work on achieving that goal. Because by doing that you would have guessed my age – something that I like to keep secret at this moment. ;-)

How big is your dream, my dear friends? Or you do not see the need to dream? Whatever you decide, we are here today because of what we did in the past. And our future is decided by what we do today. Leave your comments or email me at speckypilot@hotmail.com

In the next post, I will tell you what is the plan put in place to achieve my newfound dream. So watch out for it. ;-)

Childhood dream is fulfilled, what’s next?

The word ‘dream’ seems something far and unreachable. I think a more appropriate word will be ‘goal’. A goal set by a child is often called ‘a dream’. A goal set by an adult is still called ‘a goal’. How fascinating?

Perhaps after realizing what it takes to fulfill a dream, the grown-ups have stopped dreaming? My dear readers, is it costly to realize a dream? Costly not just in terms of money, but time and effort as well? Have you stopped dreaming?

I have read somewhere that there are 5 types of dreamers:

Type 1: Dreamers whose dreams are in the past
These people are those who have excelled in the past. For example, a gold-medalist athlete in his/her secondary school. And they have not achieved much since.

Type 2: Dreamers who dream only small dreams
These are the people who keep saying “I must write a blog one day when I am free.” But they never get down to doing it. Because their dreams are easily achievable, so they always think that they can do it anytime. With small dreams, comes small commitment.

Type 3: Dreamers who achieved their dreams and have not found their new dreams
These are people who have achieved their childhood dreams. Many professionals such as doctors, lawyers and pilots fall into this category. And they are still living in their euphoria of achieving that dream. Some are truly comfortable with what they have done and see no need to step out of their comfort zone until the end of days.

Type 4: Dreamers who have big dreams but no concrete plan to implement towards achieving their dreams
These are the people who are still in search of the right method or vehicle to take action. And like Type 2 dreamers, they will not achieve much unless they truly commit themselves towards realizing their dreams.

Type 5: Dreamers who dream big dreams, have achieved those dreams and continue to dream bigger dreams
This category of dreamers will be the most positive and forward-looking individuals on earth.

I used to be a Type 3 dreamer. A lot of my childhood friends congratulated me for having achieved my childhood dream. I had put up my hand many years ago during a primary school lesson when the teacher asked who wanted to be a pilot when we grew up.

And I had been living extremely comfortably after I had become a full fledge operating flying professional. Not only I had no problem in meeting my daily expenses for survival, I had some extra to spare for other purposes as well. (How much do we need to survive in a day anyway? I will write on this more in another posting.)

Then I was bored. A person who is bored can’t be truly happy, can he? Also, I found myself so afraid of losing my profession and whatever little wealth I had. I was living in fear. Buying insurance policies didn’t seem to help. I was in need of a new direction. What should it be?

Then I decided to be a Type 5 dreamer. I have since made a bigger dream. (How big is this dream? Read my next posting.) Having a dream/goal to pursue gives me a sense of purpose in life. Of course, I am fully aware of the risk that I have to take to dream bigger dreams. I also have doubts of not being able to achieve those dreams. What if I fail? Can I afford to fail?

If I say no, I am back to square one - living in fear. I can never be happy that way. So yes, I can afford to take some calculated risks. I can loose all the extra I have in pursue of happiness. (How much extra is extra? Another posting.) Will I still be happy if I loose all that I have? That requires me to step out of my comfort zone. That involves changing of values and mindset, my friend. It’s not easy. But taking the path with the most resistance seems to offer greater meaning to my life. So I have embarked on changing my values for the better. Try reaching the moon, even if you fail, you’ll end up with some stars!

paSSion for flying

“So flying is your childhood dream. You must be really passionate about flying then?” asked one of my friends over a coffee table.

I don’t know what is passion. I only know that I feel really HIGH after executing a good landing and conversely, extremely LOUSY after a rough one.

“If you are not paid or paid as much as what you are getting now to do the job, will you still fly?”

I was speechless. It was like an exclusively interview with a talk-show host on TV. The whole world was waiting for my answer.

Well, it’s the whole package that I am after, I guess. Besides handling the high-tech flying machine, I also look forward to immerse myself in many different layover stations in various countries and cultures. I always feel so lucky and fortunate to be able to go for authentic food in its countries of origin. I can go for Beijing Duck in Beijing today, fly to Singapore for Singapore Laksa tomorrow and two days later, Palak Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in New Delhi. And many many more, Lamb shank in Christchurch, Sushi in Osaka, Fish and Chips in Perth, Serloin Steak in Johannesburg, etc etc.

“But you are not answering the question, Specky Pilot. Let me rephrase the question. If you already have a billion dollar in your bank account today, will you still be flying?”

Yes, I will still be flying. But not sitting in the cockpit man. I would rather sitting in the First Class sipping champagne, enjoying the in-flight entertainment having the freedom to do what I want anytime I want.

“But what happened to that childhood dream of yours? That picture of you walking across the departure hall flanked by stewardesses drawing the attention of everyone?”

Yes, it does feel good being in that picture now. But that picture itself doesn’t help in motivating me to wake up at 4 in the morning to prepare for work.

Hey, common, I still need money to survive. Can glamour and passion pay the bills? No. But it does make my working life more interesting.

Flying is my childhood dream

This is how it started:

"Attention boys and girls! What do you want to become when you grow up? Write down three choices on this form here." I can still remember the high-pitch voice of my primary school teacher, Ms Chen.

And so I spent the rest of that afternoon lying on the floor looking at the sky wondering what to fill in the form.

Doctor? No. I will not want to face germs and viruses everyday.

Policeman? Emmm... Not a bad choice. I can hold guns and go after bad people. :-)

Lawyer? No. I don't know much about law. :-(

Accountant? No. I don't know much about calculating money. :-<

Engineer? Bus driver? Businessman? :-< :-< :-<

Hey, I don't know much about anything!

And as though it was a sign from above, an aeroplane flew across the great blue sky. (Many years ago, the sky was not as hazy as what we see today.)

Oh yeah! Why not become a pilot? Can earn big bucks, can see the world. The picture of me in pilot's uniform flanked by many many stewardesses walking across the departure hall drawing attention from everyone around us appeared on my mind. Phuoa! How wonderful. Ok, set!

And so the rest is history. I have set my mind to become a pilot. When an opportunity came along for me to enrol myself in a flying school, I grabbed it without much thought. I have also chosen to study aviation-related subjects in university. By then, I have realised that being a pilot is like being a computer user, the job is not as majestic as a computer manufacturer. I have ever thought of becoming an aircraft engineer instead. But I could not let go the dream that I had since young.

I joined an airline right after my graduation from university. The flying training that I received from the airline flying college was not without struggle. Obstacles and difficulties had further strengthened my character. Flying college was where I met many of my future colleagues. They told me they said the same thing during their job interview:

"Flying is my childhood dream!"

Intro

So you are a pilot. Can a pilot wear spectacles? That's the question I often get when I tell people what I do.

Yes, you don’t have to have 100% perfect eyesight to become a pilot anymore. Yes, as long as your eyesight can be corrected to perfect vision, i.e. 6/6 vision, and you meet the minimum visual acuity required without visual aid, you have a chance of joining the flying profession.

I was quite happy to answer that question to friends whom I met for the first time. Then there is this friend of mine who kept asking me the same question every time we meet. He is a medical professional by the way. It is either he never listens to me or there is too many things for him to remember in his daily practice.

I live on an island where more than two third of the student population wears spectacles or contact lenses. The reasons why this phenomenon happens make a good research topic for a university thesis. There are simply not enough people here who do not wear spectacles to join the flying profession. By the way, why must a pilot have perfect eyesight? I have not figured out the answer either.

When I first introduce myself, I will say ‘I am flying for an airline’ so as not to sound too cocky, you know what I mean? Can you imagine I walk up to a lady, stretch out my hand and say, ‘Hi, I am a Pilot.’?

Looking at my spectacles, the next question usually is, ‘Oh, so you are a cabin crew?’

‘No, err, I am a First Officer.’

‘Officer? Ground staff or customers service officer?’

At this point, I am usually quite irritated already. And so I will not care whether I will be construed as cocky or not anymore. I will say, ‘Hi, I am Pilot.’

And you know what? ‘Pilot’ will be my name that they will remember for the next few times and many times thereafter that we meet, regardless of what my actual name is. Pilot, WILL BE my name when they introduce me to their friends. Or at least, my profession will be mentioned anyhow during the conversation. And our conversation will not go far from airplanes, airports, airline destinations and everything related to aviation industry.

I am not sure whether having a pilot friend actually gives you pride and pleasure, it somehow happens that way. It’s not that I don’t like the attention. In fact I love every bit of it. Who won’t? But that comes with a price. If I don’t make a conscious effort to steer away from those topics, I will end up an egoistic snob who knows very little of his new friends.

So if you are a friend of mine, please just accept me for whom I am. Please understand that my actual name (and thus my actual person) is in constant struggle with my profession (and your perceived pilot’s image) for your attention.

Watch out for my next posting in which I will tell you more about my actual person versus the stereotypical pilot’s image.

Specky Pilot