Setting goals and keeping focused on them are important keys on achieving success in life. Goals are important but useless unless we keep our eyes on them and eliminate any distractions that would cause us to get off track.

I learned the importance of keeping my eyes focused and aware of potentially dangerous distractions early on as a newbie troubleshooter on the flight deck of the USS Constellation, CV-64.

I was on the flight deck available to troubleshoot any issues that would come up during Flight Ops for our VS-38 Squadron of S3-A Viking aircraft. During Flight Ops, if an issue would come up with one of our aircraft we would have precious minutes to identify and correct the issue so as not to miss our time slot for the catapult launch and thereby negatively affect our squadron readiness rating.

On this particular day I was walking across the flight deck heading to the cat walk on my way back down to the electric shop. Not paying attention, I found myself caught in the prop wash of an E-2C Hawkeye. The bird was taxiing to the catapult and before the JBDs (Jet Blast Deflectors) went up I found myself hanging on to a tie down for dear life. My whole body was up in the air caught in the prop wash only hanging on by my hand tightly clinging to that tie down. The only thing I could see at that point was my electric shop “buddies” in the cat walk pointing at me and laughing hysterically. Well, the JBDs went up, I was released from the prop wash and walked back to the cat walk with a new found respect for the importance of keeping my eyes focused and aware of any distractions.  

We all have needs and desires in this life as well as goals aimed at achieving them. We’ll all face distractions that have the potential to get us off course. God’s Word gives us the right perspective we need in order to keep us on course and achieve the important goals in life:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33