Helping You Remember

[Guest guest]

Helping You Remember

by Alan Cohen

While exiting a grocery store I noticed an unusual poster announcing, " You

already know how to meditate. Let me help you remember. " Ah, what an empowering

offer, I thought -- a sharp contrast to the many advertisements for products and

services that tell us that we are stupid or broken and need intelligence or

fixing.

How wonderful it feels -- and how powerfully it works -- to regard ourselves and

each other as innately wise, capable of accomplishing anything we choose,

greater than any task or challenge before us. Wouldn't you like to be regarded

as magnificent?

A few years ago I signed up for a " You Fly " airplane flight which promised that

I would be able to take the stick of a small airplane and control the plane

myself. Flying an airplane had been one of my long-time dreams, so I eagerly

registered for the flight, a three-hour jaunt over three Hawaiian islands. What

a treat, I imagined, to be in charge of the aircraft for a few minutes in

mid-air.

On the appointed day I drove to the commuter terminal at the Maui airport, where

I met the pilot, . I informed that I had never piloted a plane

before, and he told me that would be no problem. guided me out on the

tarmac to a small twin-engine Cessna, and he gave me a brief rundown about the

various instruments on the control panel. strapped himself into the seat

next to mine and told me, " Now here's how you take off... "

Excuse me, I thought, I don't remember the advertisement saying anything about

taking off. I started to open my mouth to say, " Perhaps you didn't hear me say

that I've never flown before. " But when I looked over at he was on the

radio setting up our takeoff with the control tower. Suddenly I understood what

was happening: he thought I could do it. To , taking off was not too much

to ask of me. So, in spite of my hesitation, I decided to keep my mouth shut. I

decided that if I had a choice between me being right about my inability or

being right about my ability, I would rather choose his opinion. I would

rather fulfill his expectations of my greatness than my expectations of my

ineptitude. I decided to believe in his belief. I followed 's careful

instructions, and within a few minutes we were airborne.

I flew the airplane nearly three hours that day. I flew over the dramatic north

shore of Maui, past the thousand-foot sweeping verdant cliffs of Molokai, across

the golden sand beaches of Lanai, then over whales and dolphins cavorting in the

rich blue ocean channel back to Maui. There we buzzed my house and made our way

back to the airport. For nearly all that time I controlled the airplane, with

stepping in occasionally to make minor corrections. Eventually my

nervousness had given way to exhilaration, and my doubts yielded to confidence.

As we approached the airport, surprised me again. " Now here's how you

land, " he told me in a nonchalant way. Now wait just a minute, I felt like

saying, à la Barney Fife. Taking off and flying is one thing, but landing --

now that's outright dangerous. Then I remembered a lesson from one of my

favorite flyers, Bach, who suggested, " Argue for your limits, and sure

enough they're yours. " I kept my mouth shut.

As I guided us in according to 's instructions, the Cessna was rocked by a

gust of wind. " Sure is windy here, " laughed. " I've seen pilots who got

their license on the mainland come here and try to deal with these trade winds,

and realize they didn't really know how to land. " Yow! Okay, just breathe, I

thought. I kept following 's direction until he took over the stick just

before touchdown.

As I left the airport that day, I felt higher than our flight. 's belief in

me brought out the best in me. The airplane flight was three hours, the lesson

was for a lifetime.

Then I remembered the powerful film Stand and Deliver, in which

Olmos dramatized the true story of Escalente, a math teacher who went into

the Los Angeles barrios and decided to teach calculus to some of the school's

lowest-functioning students. When the math department chairwoman criticized

, he boldly told her, " The students will live up to the teacher's

expectations! " Everyone in 's class went on to pass the state calculus

test.

At any given moment we have two voices in our head: one which tells us we can't,

and another which tells us we can. Which will prove true? The one we give the

most attention to. The one we act on. The one we make a stand for.

You already know how to be magnificent. Let me help you remember.

_________________________________________________

Book by this author: " Dare To Be Yourself " by Alan Cohen.

About The Author:

Alan Cohen is the author of many popular inspirational books, including the

best-selling Why Your Life Sucks and What You Can do About It, the award-winning

A Deep Breath of Life, and his latest book Mr. Everit's Secret--What I learned

from the World's Richest Man. (The above books can be ordered by clicking on the

book titles.) Alan offers four on-line courses throughout the year and the

life-transforming Mastery Training in Maui. For information on these programs

and a free catalog of Alan's books, tapes, and seminars, phone ,

visit www.alancohen.com, email info@..., or write P.O. Box 835, Haiku,

HI 96708.