Glad to Be Here

Eastern Iowa Community College has a development day each year that all employees must attend.  At one I attended I saw a movie about the United States Navy’s Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels.  It is a squadron of six demonstration pilots who fly the F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows throughout the United States each year.


There are two things the Blue Angels do before each performance. They sit around a table so they can look at each other. The leader or Commander of the Blue Angels then leads them through the entire performance with their eyes shut. The Commander counts down all the different turns and special things they do. He times it out just as if they were in the air flying. Then after they go over the performance in their head, they go around the table and each pilot gets to say a few words to the other pilots. The first thing they say to the other pilots is always "I’m glad to be here!" Then they talk about what they see that they or one of the other pilots can do to make the show better.


When a reporter asked the Commander why each pilot said, "I’m glad to be here" the Commander said "It is very important to let the other pilots know that you are focused and not worried about something else going on in your life. When you are flying at 400 miles an hour and sometimes 40 to 48 inches apart you would like to know that the pilot next to you is totally focused on what they are doing."


The lesson on being focused from the Blue Angel pilots is a great lesson and we can learn a great deal from it. Each day we should say "I’m glad to be here”.  A co-worker made us magnets to put on our filing cabinets to help remind us of this lesson and to start  each morning with it.  Close your eyes and visualize a great day, think positive and say “I’m glad to be here”.  During the day when something goes wrong, again say to yourself.  “I’m glad to be here”.  Look for all the positive reasons you are glad.


Be happy and glad to be here.  God bless you.