No, I’m not calling you fat.
The Airbus A380 cruises at 564 MPH, at an altitude of 43,100. The ride is smooth as silk.
But to get there, it has to overcome a takeoff weight of 1,274,271 pounds. Each of the four EA GP7200 engines delivers 70,000 pounds of thrust, and the wing area is 9,100 square feet, enabling this beast to fly.
What’s the point?
If you’re an entrepreneur building a business, or if you’re working for a company starting a new project, or if you’re beginning a new job, it can feel a lot like being an A380 sitting on the end of the runway, looking off into the horizon as you advance the thrust levers. And even then, flight doesn’t happen instantaneously.
It’s an imperfect analogy, but I’m an aviation fanatic and a huge fan of the A380, so we’re going with it. For the past several months, I’ve been building my business. Long nights and early mornings are part of the gig. It’s easy to get impatient because we want the plane to fly NOW.
But for most people, the takeoff roll is long. Gathering enough speed to become airborne takes time. And you can’t leave the ground until you have sufficient speed. The plane won’t fly, and if it does, it will be brief and you’ll crash.
In other words, you’re exactly where you need to be. So stop and take a deep breath. Relax. Meditate, if only for three minutes. Review all you’ve done and give yourself credit. It doesn’t mean that you pull back on the thrust levers.
Far from it. This is the time to go all in. But it does mean that morning, noon, and night, you owe it to yourself, your family and friends, and your company and clients, to take stock of your accomplishments and enjoy what you’re creating.
Three minutes, three times a day. That’s all it takes. You’re rolling and flight will come. Breathe.