Prompt: Always think with your stick forward

The phrase Amelia Earheart painted on the side of her plane ahead of flying across the Atlantic were, “Always think with your stick forward.”

I think it’s easy to misconstrue the wisdom here and assume the phrase means, just keep heading in a given direction, no matter what, which is pretty bad advice.

And to me, that misses the most important part of the phrase which is the word, “think”.

Planes need momentum to stay airborne, in much the same way we need momentum to reach our goals, but pilots make little adjustments and corrections along the way. There is little point in just mindlessly progressing, and often this is the way we lose motivation. We get in a rut, or stop seeing results. 

The key is to keep momentum going, to keep moving in the direction of your goals, but to always think. Are you moving in the right direction? Do you need to make adjustments? Are your goals now the same as they were when they started?

Let’s take the gym as an example. Over time, as your muscles become used to the tension you are putting them under, your workouts become less effective. You need to regularly change the volume and intensity of your workouts to keep moving towards your goal. You don’t have to stop going to the gym whilst you plan a new workout routine though. You can still maintain your momentum. You just have to think.

Today’s journal prompt is:

What are you doing to maintain momentum towards your goals? How do you make the time to think, whilst still keeping your stick forward?

Which goals are you easing back from or losing momentum on, and why? 

Happy journaling.