In our August Afterburner Club call a few weeks ago, we heard a lot about Chris Pope’s story of perseverance in becoming a fighter pilot. He zigzagged his way on a path that taught him the best way to become a fighter pilot was to become a team player and a good officer.

One of my favorite parts of the call came at the very end when Chris shared a piece of advice that he had learned from an A-10 Warthog pilot he had met at an air show; and that was the importance of setting short-term goals.

The A-10 pilot had told Chris to look at becoming a fighter pilot as though it were the peak at the top of a mountain. If you concentrate solely on that peak, then it will seem impossible to attain. But…on the side of the mountain are several ledges, each of them bringing you closer to your goal like climbing a ladder. If you concentrate on the ledge in front of you and tackle them one at a time, then you’ll be at the peak before you know it!

Chris took this advice to heart and worked toward his dream one ledge at a time. First was graduating from college. Then, selecting his best route to become the best officer he could be (which turned out to be ROTC, even when most people thought that OTS made more sense for him!) Then, it was to excel at ROTC. Then, become commissioned.

Now that he is a full-fledged officer, Chris is preparing to tackle the next ledge: excelling at flight school. But even after Chris earns his wings, he’s liable to find that the climb will continue. Having developed a habit out of setting goals and meeting them, Chris will no doubt continue to excel in each assignment that is given to him throughout his career. He just may wind up becoming a Thunderbird pilot, or a Red Flag instructor, or even an astronaut!

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See you on the inside!