Often I hear: Go with the flow. Go with the stream. Go with the wind, where it will take you. Jump into the deep end. Go, go, go.
Then I wondered.
Ever seen an aeroplane take off? Ever looked at a windsock indicating the direction of the wind?
They never take off with the wind. It’s always into the wind. Of course there are aerodynamic reasons.
Wind coming from the front over the wing lifts the plane. A headwind therefore facilitates the take off and shortens the runway required to get into the air. Wind from the back is only good when we are up there. On the ground it has a negative effect on our ability to lift off. Once up there then a tailwind pushes us along and saves us fuel and time, increasing our speed without much effort from our behalf.
What if we use that example for our life.
Just going with the wind or jumping into the stream tears us along at a rate of knots. We don’t lift off. We tumble, sink, drown, crash. The fewest of us have enough runway or smooth waters to eventually gain some lift.
We want to gain lift in our life. We are here to make life work out for us.
Why not use the wind blowing in our life and turn into it head-on? Instead of running with it lets utilise it to get off the ground, to get lift-off, to gain much needed perspective, height and clarity and then once we are in control and stabilised and know exactly what we want, turn with the wind and zoom towards our dreams. A little pressure from the front could be quite beneficial to get us going. I for one love facing into the wind. I will be my own aeroplane and pilot it to the destination of my choice.