Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllife ife ife ife Welcome to issue no. 9 of Pilot your life. March 2010 This year has been particularly busy for me as I’ve already set in motion and achieved some of my goals. In January and February I went trekking in Patagonia in southern Chile and Argentina. Then, after a week back at home to partially recover, I set off for North America to speak at the Women in Aviation International conference in Orlando, Florida. Another speaking engagement followed that with the invitation to participate in the Women Fly! program at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Not a bad start to the year. While in Orlando, I experienced the joy of flying in a much slower mode than usual – a hot air balloon. The flight ended up being both a time of reflection and a time for reflection. At the Boggy Creek field, with a definite nip in the air, six balloons launched in the blinding light of the early morning sun. The biggest balloon headed off with two smaller ones, then ours took off with two others following behind.

The launch was so gentle that we hardly realised that we were aloft. Very different to taking off in a light aircraft. No roar of the engine with the plane speeding down the runway before lift off. Apart from the occasional noisy burst of flame from the gas cylinder to adjust the balloon’s height, the flight was so peaceful. Just drifting along without a care in the world and having a bird’s eye view of the land below.

Pilot Pilot Pilot Pilot yyyyour our our our llllife ife ife ife Quite amazing really that I could look out and down and not feel the fear of heights, particularly as the basket wasn’t very deep and there were no seat belts. As we floated over the swamp, we saw the reflection of the other balloon below. That in turn sparked another reflection.

I reflected back on my holiday in South America. It involved some quite arduous trekking to reach many of the stunning scenic spots in Torres del Paine and Fitzroy National Parks. Once again this was partly to prove that I could complete the walk despite the knee, feet and back injuries from the car accident a few years ago. But I really just wanted to achieve another goal that I’d set myself. Satisfying yet exhausting. Consequently, the balloon flight, where I relaxed, did nothing (except take photographs), and just enjoyed the experience, was my reward to me for my achievement in South America.

So, another great tip for how to pilot your life (personal or business) is: Take time out to enjoy every achievement Treat yourself to something special and enjoy the moment. It’s great to achieve goals, but remember to reward yourself as you go. It encourages you to keep striving for the next goal and success does breed success. Two of my presentation topics are:

Setting and achieving goals Success

Pilot your life Pilot your life Pilot your life Pilot your life For another balloon bonanza email me at fran@franwest.com and I'll send you a photo which you can use as your desktop wallpaper. Visit: www.franwest.com and http://au.linkedin.com/in/franwestau. Phone: 61 8 82706623 Email: fran@franwest.com for speaking engagements, purchases and the first eight issues of the newsletter. While you’re waiting for the next newsletter, the “Balloon Adventure” Screensaver, with 20 photos highlighting the ballooning experience from start to finish, is available for only $9.95. You are welcome to forward Pilot your life to others who may be interested. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you by someone else, please contact me at fran@franwest.com and I'll add you to my emailing list. Bye for now,

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For snippets of some of the DVDs visit www.youtube.com/ozdragon52.