So what's next for you?
I learned many important lessons in Air Force flight training, other than how to fly. One of those lessons has served my life incredibly well since learning and implementing it. It’s called “What’s next?”.
You see, when you are flying a fixed-wing aircraft on planet Earth, you must stay ahead of the airplane or chances are you won’t survive the ride. That is not an easy thing to do at some of the speeds we fly, coupled with all of the other things that can be going on in the flight deck at the same time. Heaven forbid you’re in an emergency situation. There is no pulling over in a plane. Having to keep your wits about you to stay at airspeed, on altitude, communicate, navigate, and get on the ground safely when your hair is on fire and make it look cool is not a normal situation most human beings find themselves in. Needless to say, it takes practice to get good at. So don’t forget to be patient with yourself when you are learning new things.
Using this tool is very simple. It’s not even that hard to remember to use, so implementing it in your life, if you so desire, should be one of the easiest habits to form. Habits, by the way, are how we program our brains. Some people program it to work for themselves, and others to work against themselves. This is why I say it is better to have purposeful routines that form into strong positive habits that serve your life, rather than falling into accidental routines that may be harmful to your life.
If you are living your life by accident, wherever you end up will be by accident. I prefer to pick a destination and find my way there on purpose. A lot of times there is already a road laid out I have found.
Flight Manual for Life:
So how do you use this tool? I’m glad you asked. It’s easy. Want to get more things done in a day? Once you complete a task, ask yourself, “What’s next?” Your brain is a processor just like in a computer. When you give it problems to solve, it finds solutions. Remember the biggest rule in programming: garbage in, garbage out (GIGO). Meaning whatever you put into a processor, that’s what it will crunch on and ultimately spit out solutions for, good or bad.
How does this apply to your brain? Glad you asked again. If you are asking things to yourself that sound like, “Why do I suck at everything, Why doesn’t anyone like me, Why am I so ugly, Why can’t I ever get all my work done, Why can’t I ever make enough money” your brain is going to crunch on those questions and spit out answers that you will then tell yourself and others as statements that then negatively reinforces and literally creates a flawed reality for you to live in. Most people call those flawed logic statements “Excuses”. Don’t fill your life up with those.
Instead, give it good problems to solve that will push you to places you want to go and haven’t been yet. i.e., How do I get better at my job? How can I make more money? How do I become more attractive? Where is a good place to find some friends? How do I start a business? How do I write a book? How do I become a Pirate Jedi Explorer? Notice the difference?
“What’s next?” applies in micro in-your-face situations as well as big picture planning situations. i.e., I just finished my math homework, what’s next? I’m in high school now. What’s next? I just had a baby, what’s next? I’m running my errands, what’s next? I just got fired. What’s next? I just got a new job. What’s next? I’m at the stoplight in my car. What’s next? I’m a Pirate Jedi Explorer. What’s next?
Practice Makes Perfect
It keeps you on track and if you do it enough, you will be ahead of your life just like I was taught to be ahead of the airplane. You will be patiently enjoying the ride until the time to take the next action is right. You will be at Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Level: Alpha. “What’s Next?” is how you survive and thrive in an airplane and it’s how you survive and thrive in life.
So, what's next for you?
