In part 2 of my blog series on things I’ve learned, I am sharing 5 things I learned in a fighter helicopter when I was a Laker Girl visiting South Korea with the team. We traveled to South Korea to represent the Lakers and Los Angeles at a trade show. While we were there, we were invited to visit American troops on the military base bordering the DMZ. It was incredible!

We were flown in a fighter helicopter with no doors and given a major safety briefing prior. The lessons we were given about a potential crash landing were an extremely appropriate metaphor for life. Here are my take aways.

1-You have to be ready! Preparation is half the battle in succeeding We may not be sure when our moment will come, but we can make sure we are ready when it does.

2-Know who has your back! Who can you trust when the going gets tough? Who will step into the battle with you to pull you out.

3- Surviving a crash landing gives you a second chance to get it right. I heard stories of soldiers surviving fighter helicopter malfunctions and it reminded me that in our life, most of our failures are likely not nearly as close to fatal.. and if they can get back up and fly again, we can stand back up and try again. 

4- Pay attention! We are so easily distracted. We miss some of the most important cues and red flags because we lose focus. When we pay attention, we can read people’s body language, see potential danger coming, and our reactions are likely to be more effective.

5- Things can change in an instant. This applies to both good and bad situations. We often feel so overwhelmed by bad days or the difficulties of our past and miss the good that’s waiting right around the corner. In addition, we forget to celebrate the highlights of our lives because we spend the good moments worrying about what is potentially going to go wrong. Everything can change in an instant. Back to #1….be prepared.

Let’s channel our inner fighter pilot and make it count.