The value of setting goals

This idea has been percolating in my head for a few decades now. I’ve played with it over the years, observing various individuals who do or don’t set specific goals. Refining my thoughts as time goes by — and time is a factor.

Make no mistake about it. Time is the most valuable asset we have. It’s more valuable than money. Believe it.

Recently, a young man asked to meet with me at a popular local breakfast spot. He’s enrolled in college where he’s studying to become a professional pilot. It’s his dream, which is all well and good. He fervently wishes to become a pilot. I know he’s serious because I’ve flown with him, allowing him to take the controls to get a realistic feel for the experience of flying an aircraft as opposed to merely being a passenger.

He’s a good kid. Although truthfully, I’m not sure I can rightly call him a kid anymore. He’s 20 years old. Legally an adult. Yet, he’s a bit lost. Unsure of himself. Confused. He’s wondering why he’s not making more progress, even though he’s spending money at a furious rate. He turned to me as a mentor to help him figure out what’s going wrong.

His complaints are many. Over his biscuits and gravy and my black coffee, he shared his concerns about classes that have nothing to do with aviation, instructors who don’t show up for lessons, scheduling problems, and months of sporadic lessons that fill new lines in his logbook but leave his bank account bereft of funds.

Worse, the rotating door of flight instructors he’s assigned to aren’t in agreement on how to perform various tasks.

This has caused my young friend to feel poorer, more frustrated, and not one step closer to a pilot certificate than he was when he started this journey — two years ago!

There is a saying that fits this situation perfectly. It sounds idiotic, but in truth it aims right at the heart of the matter. It is this: We don’t know what we don’t know.

I have empathy for this young man. In the 1980s I was in a similar situation. I wanted to fly. I attended ground school. I took my written and passed it — barely. I began taking flight lessons.

Throughout the process I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I merely did what I was told to do and emptied my checking account in order to comply with instructions. I did not, however, earn a pilot certificate. Instead, I became disenchanted, frustrated, broke and, to some degree, angry.

As I reflect on that phase of my life and my training, all those negatives come down to one simple misunderstanding. I wished to become a pilot. I dreamed of becoming a pilot. I jumped into a process that was supposedly intended to transform me into a pilot.

But I never had a plan. At no point did I set specific goals that included a budget, or a timeline, or a geographic location that would serve me best. I just did the most convenient and most expensive thing available to me based on what some salesman told me.

Was it possible I’d become a pilot? Sure. Is it possible my young friend will eventually become a pilot? Absolutely. Is it likely? No, probably not.

We all have limits. Each of us has only so much time, so much money, so much patience to put into a given pursuit. Whether that’s a marriage, a business venture, or the quest to achieve something personal — like becoming a pilot — there is a point where we will give up if we don’t find a sufficient level of success.

The advice I gave my breakfast partner was simple, but it has value: Set a goal.

In fact, set a series of specific goals. Determine a budget. Do you need $10,000 or $15,000 or $100,000? Is that money set aside ready to deploy toward your training? If yes, go for it. If not, take on a second job or pursue a loan that gives you the financial capacity you’ll need to throw yourself into training without the distraction of wondering where the next training dollar is coming from.

Research, then lock, into a training model that works for you. There are several options.

Renting an aircraft at a local flight school is the easiest, most convenient, and most expensive option.

Buying an airplane to train in and build time with is the most complicated, least convenient, and least expensive option in the long run.

Joining a flying club that allows for primary flight training or banding together with others to form a co-ownership that reduces the cost of accessing an airplane and instructor are also viable options.

Next, be a conscientious consumer by interviewing and picking your own flight instructor.

A typical flight school may charge $60 to $80 per hour for CFI services, but the CFI doesn’t get all that cash. They’ll be paid a small percentage of that fee. As an independent student you can negotiate a rate that may be 50% off or more. The CFI gets a raise while you cut your cost significantly. Everybody wins.

Finally, set a timeline. Do you want to get your training and check ride done in 90 days? 120 days? What is practical considering your work schedule and family responsibilities? Set a goal, start your training, and put the effort in that will allow you to stay on track.

Finally, find a mentor who has achieved what you want to do. Then make sure to follow up with them. Meet once a month. Share your victories. Ask for advice based on the challenges you’re facing. Evaluate how well you’re doing in terms of time, money, training goals, and satisfaction.

Setting a goal rather than harboring a dream can make all the difference between achieving it or not achieving it.

As for me, I’ll be sitting down at that popular breakfast spot again soon, to get a progress report from that same young man. I’m hoping congratulations will be in order.