How Failure Saved My Life.

I'll never forget my First Solo Flight. This picture was taken while doing my solo flight before my final approach to the runway. Soon after this picture was taken, I found myself experiencing one of the most traumatic moments of my life. I found myself utilizing all my past experience and training when another Pilot had decided to fly a reverse pattern in unauthorized airspace. The Pilot had met up with me on final approach was about to land on top of me! I could have easily panicked and made the wrong move which would probably have killed me. I instead remembered the things I was taught and kept my cool and thought out my next action. My lessons in Pilot training, life, and business, taught me that there is always time to make the right decision. It's so easy in life  to hurry up and make a quick decision. Don't feel bad if that is you, many people operate that way, I was one of them. You see, It actually saves time or maybe years if you take the time to make the right decisions. How do you know what is the right decision? Your past, that's right rely on your past!  You should be drawing from all the bad decisions and good decisions you have made in life. How? Remember what factors caused your bad decisions and figure out what you could have done to change the outcome! Good decisions are easy, just remember what factors caused you to make the right decisions! Those factors are what I like to call THE FACTORS OF LIFE LESSONS! This is what makes you who you are today. Ok, on with the story. I had to make the decision to do what many of you would think is the last thing anyone should do in this situation. Yep, I pulled all power off! I know it sounds crazy but it was my well thought out decision. The plane was directly above me, I did not have enough time to go faster since he was descending on top of me. I could not turn left or right because I would have clipped his wings. I did have enough time to go slow enough to let him fly down and in front of me to make his landing. After he was clear from me I pushed full power and flew out of the pattern.After the incident I realized how fortunate I was. I thank God that I had the training I had and the life lessons to reflect on. I drew from one particular failure in my life when I made a decision to quickly with better options available. In this situation I took the time to explore all my options. Always let something from every failure become a life lesson. Failure is not a reason to quit, It is an opportunity to learn. I am alive today because I choose to learn from mine.