Brian J. Park

Just Keep Swimming

I just got back from block leave. This was something that I have been looking forward for months. Work was just chaotic. Co-workers were frustrated with the work environment. Supervisors were demanding tasks be completed on short notice. Subordinates were burnt out from constantly being told to hit multiple targets with one arrow. It seemed like the 1993 blockbuster Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. I thought going away on vacation would relieve my stress. I thought while sun bathing in the warm sands of Newport Beach while enjoying Wisconsin cheese and a glass of properly aged Merlot would make me happy. But, it didn’t. All it did was provide me temporary satisfaction that quickly faded away on the plane ride home.

So, I started thinking about when I was the happiest. And that's when it hit me. My proudest moments were when I had to overcome difficult things. Things that I thought were impossible but did anyways and somehow succeeded. This idea that we should only seek comfort and happiness is appealing. We're constantly told to avoid stress and distract ourselves with external stimulations that make us feel good about ourselves. So, all we think about at work is going home where we can hang our problems on a coat rack and drown ourselves in virtual reality where life is always exciting and winning is inevitable. 

I can't blame you for feeling that way. Life does suck and it seems we always have 99 problems with a catch in every one of them. But, what I found from trial and error was that solving problems opens our minds to new possibilities. And with new possibilities comes a feeling that maybe life isn't too bad. Perhaps, Sisyphus had the last laugh because he never wanted the boulder to reach the top because the journey was what made him happy. 

Grab my hand

One of the greatest places to find inspiration is from history. In the early 1900s there was a famous aerobatics aviator from San Francisco who was known as The Master Birdman. In 1910, The Master Birdman made the trip to Los Angeles to join an air show. It was there that he had a grand vision that would make him famous.

The Master Birdman took his 700 pound aircraft 4,500 feet into the air until the engine stalled, forcing his plane into a deadly nose dive spin, and attempted to land unscathed. On December 18, 1910, he successfully leveled out from a tailspin. Word spread quickly and he soon had millions of people coming to watch his insane act.

Never to be outdone, The Master Birdman soon began to add more to his act than simply free falling. He circled his plane over the lower Niagara falls, up and around the American falls, and then all the way under a low suspension bridge. Another time he flew upwards to 2,500 feet, dropped straight downwards into one loop and immediately turned over into another for 80 consecutive times. Another time he raced a train and let his wheels touch the roof as it passed underneath him.

The Master Birdman was the greatest aerobatics aviator that ever lived. Then one day after hearing about yet another pilot who died trying to copy his stunts, he looked into the eyes of his brother Hilary and said, “All I wanted to do was to open the eyes of the people to the possibilities of the aeroplane.” The Master Birdman shortly retired until he found out their aircrafts were all made with defective materials. He got on his little looper plane the next morning and said, “I will show the world that it’s possible to navigate the air with safety.”

The Master Birdman advanced the science of flying by a decade. As you begin this blog, I’ll make you a deal. If you come to me with an open mind, I’ll give you the proper materials to succeed. What does it mean to come to me with an open mind? It means that you are not going to read this blog, you are going to study its message. It means you are going to apply these skills. It means you are dedicated. Open your mind, and I will give you the proper materials to soar.