The Blue Angels and You

This past weekend my sons and I ventured to the Prairie Air show in Peoria, IL. to see the Navy Blue Angels perform. In my younger years, the only thing I would marvel was the power and speed of the team. I still love the testosterone filled, high speed passes and the sheer power of these $28 million machines. This time, I was struck by something all together different.

Upon arriving at the air show it was hard not to notice the center piece of the show the F/A 18 Blue Angels planes, perfectly parked in front of the crowd on the runway. The planes were spotless the gear and support equipment were impeccably placed around the planes. It seemed nothing was left to chance even with the placement of their gear. To some, this wouldn’t be noticed or even expected. I was struck by this commitment to excellence. That is something you rarely encounter in todays world. The only time people see this type of attention, would be at an event like the Blue Angels air show.

“I think that one of the greatest things that I talk about is making simple commitments. That you are going to get the job done and that you are going to work as hard as you can at everything you do. Once you have that simple commitment, whether it’s hanging up your clothes in your closet or even on your final exam, if you do the best you can at everything that you do, there is really nothing that you cannot achieve, whether you want to be a Blue Angel or if you want to be successful at whatever you do.”

Lieutenant Scholl

It is not stretch to understand why these pilots and crew are so committed to such precision given the consequences in the air if they don’t but what about the commitment to even parking their planes perfectly separated at the proper angle and the crew placement of gear. Now this is attention to detail and 100% commitment to doing everything to the best of their ability. You see I call this the “trickle up phenomenon” . Most only pay attention to doing the big things right and often lose ground in the details.

“Success Lies in the details”!!!

I believe if you commit to paying attention to doing the little things right, the seemingly insignificant things the big things become easy to do with excellence.

Let me give you an example. Most people who want to lose weight or improve their physiques – exercise ,workout, and get their cardiovascular and maybe even eat O.K., but find it easy to cheat at least a couple times per day. When it comes to their food intake they think “Well, it’s just one meal, one bite, or one snack – what can it hurt?” Ever done this? This is exactly what I am talking about. You concentrate on the big things but fall down on the small things. These small things add up and I can guarantee you, EVERYTHING MATTERS.

Am I saying never cheat or never have fun? NO. I am saying if you have a goal and are really committed to that goal – stay focused! Commit to excellence in everything you do. You will be amazed at how this begins to seep into every area of your life. Consider this the sun with all of its infinite heat and power cannot start a fire until its energy and power are concentrated and focused with a magnifying glass.

Ask yourself “Am I focused and What is my commitment to Excellence?”

C.Todd Lowder “The Fitness Guy”