“The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.” – Thomas Pain
In order to propel dreams forward, there are times, one must stop to reflect and review. This seems like a waste of time when in the middle of a project. However, this counterintuitive action actually serves to gain new momentum.
In July 2018, a dream of completing the building, and ultimately flying, the Experimental Aircraft Association biplane my father started in the 1960s came to life. You can read my thoughts about that moment here.
I promised to keep you posted on the biplane’s progress. I had intended to have a dedicated page for this purpose, but that, like the biplane, remains under construction. The fact is each Monday evening, members of the EAA Chapter 88 meet to work on the project. This has continued with few interruptions for the last five years.
FIVE Years!
So what has happened in those five years?
- In the first year, the workspace came into order, evaluating where Daddy had left off with the biplane, and
assembling the basic tools, plans, and materials we would need. This included rehabbing Dad’s drill press, which I wrote about here. - The next year we built the wing ribs. The ribs Dad built were not useable. My first update was published here.
- The next year we assembled the upper two wings and center wing section.
- Next the ailerons that Dad built were disassembled and then reassembled with epoxy. This included some enhancements and installing additional braces not on Dad’s original build.
- As of this post, the first lower wing is almost complete.
The value of the support of my local EAA Chapter cannot be overstated. I wrote about that here and always, each week, thank those who have come and given their time and expertise to this endeavor.
Recently our EAA Chapter had a panel of airplane builders come to talk about their projects. All are at different stages. One builder just began his tenth (audible gasp!) airplane, another finished and is flying (It took ten years), and the rest are somewhere in the middle. Somewhere in there is my project.
Propel Dreams Forward
A review of the BLOG posts I wrote on the biplane project did three things:
- Clears out the accumulated mental and emotional clutter. Time has a tendency to distort the truth about the “why” of a project. Stepping back to see progress helps release frustration about how long these kinds of dreams take.
- A review resets focus. With the clutter blown away, the “why” of the project comes to light again and a renewed focus emerges.
- Clarifies next steps. The next steps come into view with directional momentum.
Coincidentally with this review, a clear out of the project space refreshes energy. Although this is done along the way, every now and again, a good sort-out reflects a renewed mental state.
Propel Dreams Forward – Your Dreams
These principles are valid for any project, especially those of long duration, including those projects involving rescuing lost stories. Perseverance, a good support system and, yes, taking time to pause, review, and reflect will give your project fresh life.
I encourage you to take a bit of time to review and reflect, even celebrate the progress you have made! Let me know how it goes in the comments below.