When you hear the phrase” The sky is not the limit”, if you are me, even 5000 feet away up there is impressive. I tied my hand on a glider flying at a flying club in Ontario.

My friend Les, an aircraft enthusiast, is a glider instructor pilot. Knowing my love of flying, he encouraged me to consider glider flying as a hobby. To keep a long story short, after being towed up to about 5000 feet twice, we came down somewhat quickly. Even though I have not given up on flying, I was not mentally prepared to manage my negative thoughts up there that flared up in the cockpit with the what-if questions. What did I learn? Two takeaways there, don’t allow your enthusiasm to outrun your maturity when you are untested.

To transition from a spectator to a player requires mental toughness, not feel-good boldness. A coach as a thinking partner can help you in the transition.