Nobody who gets too damned relaxed builds up much flying time.
Interpretation
Success requires effort and dedication; becoming complacent can hinder progress.
Ernest K. Gann's quote emphasizes the importance of diligence and constant effort in achieving success. It suggests that becoming too comfortable or relaxed can lead to stagnation, hindering one's growth and development, particularly in skills that require practice and persistence. The metaphor of building 'flying time' illustrates that one must actively engage and push oneself to reach new heights in any endeavor.
In practice
This quote could be used in a motivational speech for young entrepreneurs.
The men in this book are fictitious characters but their counterparts can be found in cockpits all over the world. Now they are flying a war. Tomorrow they will be flying a peace, for, regardless of the world's condition, flying is their life.
Evidence is conclusive that your self-talk has a direct bearing on your performance.
If you learn how to defeat that person when you're running. You will know how to not quit when things get hard in your life.
Get into a line that you will find to be a deep personal interest, something you really enjoy spending twelve to fifteen hours a day working at, and the rest of the time thinking about.
You always think, 'Oh, if only I had a little chalet in the mountains! How great that would be and I'd do all this writing' Except, no, I wouldn't. I'd do the same amount of writing I do now and the rest of the time I'd go stir crazy. If you're waiting for the perfect moment you'll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no foolproof anything. There's nothing foolproof.
To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.
No-limit people are so in charge that they can trust their instincts, be childlike, be creative, do anything that makes sense to them and make their lives into what they really believe they want for themselves.
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