Asking for help.

This site has been great with helping me overcome hurdles and get to my career goals. I've had great conversation with guy on here. Some celebrating the wins and some getting me through tougher times this industry and life dish out.
 
Well, kinda!

In the last year, I’ve been involved with at least five people who reached out for help AFTER the point I could have turned the situation around. I’m not a wizard or anything but after a few decades in the business, a lot of my friends and colleagues have moved into helpful situations. Problems with flight training? I have some people in the training department that I can call on, Flight Standards? Welll, I’m in Flight Standards. Chief Pilots office? Name me the base and I can get you some “Chief pilot hat-off, helping a friend hat-on” assistance. FAA? I have some good buddies at various Certificate Management Offices that I can count on.

It’s this thing called… Networking. But you have to raise your hand and say “I need help”, “I really effed up” or “I’m in a bad spot”.

Use the hive-mind.
You're preaching to the choir, Chi Chi! I mean...I ain't the one turning down a free breakfast!
 
This career can be really tough on the mental health, even for otherwise healthy folks. Especially when the bounces don't go your way.

I'm very thankful for the, well, bunches of people that have been there to talk from here. And offer guidance (mostly good, occasionally less so). It is helpful to me to remember that flying isn't my life, and I don't have to do it, and at the end of the day, no one is making me do it and I can always be tired and take a day off.
 
Thanks for all you do! If you ever find your cup running low you and Kristie always have me and Eli to fill it up. Literally and figuratively, he’s the bartender of the group. I know people that always pour into others sometimes don’t recognize when they need a refill.
 
The NYT podcast "The Daily" read what was evidently an article in the paper on pilots and mental health, today. It was pretty good. Although they also martyred Karlene Pettit, who, AFAICT, actually is a bit of a loon. Still worth a listen, if only for the knowledge that the subject is now, eh, "in the gestalt", or whatever.
 
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