I feel the need. The Need for Speed.
These words from the heart-throb of the 80’s and 90’s Tom Cruise, sent shivers down many youngsters. Flying in a fighter plane is one of my dreams. The sheer thrill of the speed, the thought of the adrenaline rush is enough to get me pumped. This is my 3rd post in the musical series. I was brought up in the 80’s and this reflects in my choice of songs. Top Gun was one of the top hits of the 80’s. The story revolves around Maverick (Tom Cruise) a cocky Navy pilot, and his co-pilot, Goose who are chosen to attend the Top Gun school. Top Gun is the nickname for the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program which teaches fighter and strike tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators, who return to their operating units as surrogate instructors. Flying a 22 ton fighter jet which costs a minimum of USD 100 million (The most expensive I heard being the B2-Spirit at a whooping $2.4 billion) requires you to be the best of the best of the best. Only people who have developed the discipline, the self control, a strong positive attitude and a culture of excellence, get to even come close to these.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBbrngafl0&w=640&h=385&rel=0]
I was privileged to listen to John Foley , former lead solo pilot for the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron. He also flew as a Marine Corps jet fighter instructor pilot and flew in the movie “Top Gun,” itself. The Blue Angels is the United States’ Navy’s flight demonstration squadron. John explained how during demonstrations, the Blue Angels fly 36 inches apart from each other. That’s closer than your feet are to your head!
Imagine looking out of your car window on a highway. Extend your hand out of the window. Now imagine that at the end of your fingertips is a 22-ton jet fighter, flying 500 miles an hour—upside down!!. That’s Precision!. Precision which comes with pushing yourself into the Danger Zone. The zone where you feel extremely uncomfortable, the zone where you feel like throwing up, the zone where one mistake could kill you, the zone where you discover the powers of the mind. the zone where you discover YOU. This song for me embodies the spirit of pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone if we are to achieve our dreams.
Revvin’ up the engine,
Listen to her howlin’ roar
Metal under tension,
Begging you to touch and goHighway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone
Your mind is your engine. If you are to take charge of your life you have to start revving up your engine. You need to step up the pace in your life and charge ahead. At first when you try to do this you will feel a lot of discomfort within you. You will hear the howling within yourself. Your entire body will feel the tension and your fears, your doubts and limiting beliefs all pulling you back to get back to where you feel comfortable doing what you already know. Welcome to the highway. Welcome to the Danger zone. This is the place where you start your journey towards achieving your dreams, doing things you never did before, achieve things which you dint believe you could. Just like a highway, the end destination is not visible. The only place where you know where you want to go is in your mind. The only destination you cannot reach is what your mind cannot imagine. So power up your engines and get on to the highway of your life with the most powerful engine in this world.. Your Mind!
Heading into twilight,
Spreading out her wings tonight
She got you jumping off the deck,
And shoving into overdriveHighway to the danger zone
I’ll take you right into the danger zone
You’ve started your journey and got onto the highway of life. As you make progress you will head into the twilight zone. The zone where things start becoming unclear. You slowly start losing your initial enthusiasm and drive. This is the time when you need to push yourself to spread your wings. Spreading your wings is nothing but to invest time in constant learning and development. This is the time when you build your foundation. Life will constantly throw challenges at you and very often you will feel like jumping off the deck. Quite literally this is when most people want to give up and QUIT. But this is exactly the time when you need to pick yourself up and move into overdrive.Thats when you start seeing light at the end of the tunnel. That’s when you start seeing your destination. That’s when you start entering the danger zone. That’s when the magic happens.
They’ll never say hello to you,
Until you get it on the red line overload
You’ll never know what you can do,
Until you get it up as high as you can go
Most of us don’t know what we are capable of. The number one reason for this is because we let fear and doubt dictate our lives and never attempt at doing anything outside our comfort zone. We are so happy to just sleep walk through our lives that we never challenge ourselves to do better. Circumstances do not make a man. It only reveals him to himself. So unless you step out of your comfort zone, life will never say hello to you. Unless you push yourself to overdrive you will never know what you are capable of. One of my favourite motivational speakers Bob Proctor puts is very beautifully. The question is not whether you are “able” to do it, its more if you are “willing” to do it. Are you willing to go all the way, do what it takes to fulfill your dreams. Keep pushing yourself to go higher and higher. Higher in all aspects of your life. A higher level of knowledge and awareness in every area of your life. Keep improving yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Ask yourself this simple question when you are pursuing in life. Do you REALLY want it?. If the answer is yes then you will do whatever it takes and will not stop before your goal is met. Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit!
Out along the edges,
Is always where I burn to be
The further on the edge,
The hotter the intensity
It is well known that pressure often brings out the best in you. As a pilot under intense pressure to make quick decisions, you need to trust your instincts; and two, to have a process for taking action when your instincts alert you to a problem. The further “On the Edge” you are, the more your mind is stretched to come up with answers. The more uncomfortable you become, the better the learning. As you push yourself harder it gets more difficult each time you do it. The intensity of the pressure is higher. Strive to keep challenging yourself. Strive to be on the edge. Have a burning desire to challenge your limits. That is when your true powers unleash themselves. That’s when you taste success!
The sequel of this amazing movie was all set to release last year but was put on hold due to the tragic death of Director Tony Scott.Its not known if the sequel will see its day of light. if it does I’m sure it will be another great thriller!