When I was first started flying lessons, I had to adjust to looking at things from the air.
It didn’t help that the air in the southern summers was hazy and visibility was poor. In California you can often see the mountains halfway across the state. Only need 3 miles visibility meets the legal minimums. The weather reports for my training almost always reported 10 miles. But with 10 miles of hazy visibility, you aren’t going to see anything across town – much less across the state.
To avoid getting lost, I had to quickly learn how to recognize local landmarks. I also learned how to use radio navigation aids much sooner than my training required. I made cheat sheets that made identifying the key information easy to reference. Looking down on a ocean of green trees – every thing can look the same.
And it’s frightening to feel lost – a few thousand feet in the air.
There may be parallels in life. Circumstances where the view is unfamiliar. Where the environment has an element of danger. Where there is real fear of failure. Where the ability to find the way “home” takes on enormous proportions.
I’m thinking that life changes can require similar adjustments. Leaving a job. Losing a partner. A new house. A new friend. A new love.
Such life changes can be as disoriented as flying in haze over a flat landscape. And the fear about finding the way “home” can be just as real.
I’m sure many life skills can be employed to overcome such hurdles. And just as in flying, it’s always reassuring to have a “safety pilot” along.
I don’t know any secret techniques that enable adjusting to new “views” in life changes. Maybe there are cheat sheets that can be made.
Going back to the airfield and trying again and again was what it took for me.