AIRTHUG wrote: We're talking about learning aviation- taking flight instruction- becoming a PILOT. It takes commitment. ... But those that I've seen succeed the most and truly achieve their dream, were the ones that you couldn't keep AWAY from lessons. If their car broke down they'd walk to their lesson. If their work demanded their time heavily, they'd go in unthinkably early... or work tirelessly late... or both... to make time for their training.
That was my experience. I was "cleared" to fly off the mountain (after a year on the training hills) when "life" just got in the way. A year later, it dawned on me that my dream to fly that was -oh so close to being realized, and yet- slipping away.
At the time, I had very little money but at least enough for gas. My automatic 4-wheel drive Bronco II transmission was dying - no longer had 3rd gear or reverse, just 1st & 2nd; pretty much stayed very local that previous year. Work was only a couple of miles away, always parked so I didn't need to back out. Often I would walk to work.
So when it hit me (like a ton of bricks) that it had been a year and my dream was starting to slip away - I became possessed. My thought process sort of went like this: Holy sh*t, it's been a whole year .... WHERE ARE MY KEYS? I'M GOING NOW!
After a minute or two, I calmed down a bit and came back to my senses, then proceeded to address each and every concern I had in order to go fly.
A conversation I had w myself written up as a script where the actors are:
Big John - the grown up "me" or camp Sobriety,
Little John - is camp Spontaneity.
Big John: Can't go NOW, gotta work this week.
Little John: O.K. this week-end is free. I can go then.
B.J. - Truck has only 1st and 2nd gear, probably won't even make the trip.
L.J. - F^&k it, as long as it makes it there, I can hitch a ride or get a taxi back.
B.J. - I don't have current tags on the license plate (failed smog inspection)
L.J. - F*^k it, how often does a cop get behind you anyways?
So I went that week-end, re-cleared within 3 hours, became a mountain pilot and even made it back without a cop getting behind me.
Like many have already said in this thread, sometimes you have to REALLY want it. You might even have to become transfixed or possessed, like I did. As the ol' saying goes, "Where there's a will, there's a way". Good luck mate.