FACE YOUR FEARS - Steven McBee

Flying, even commercial airline flights, was something I dreaded for as long as I could remember.

The feeling of helplessness as I was 30,000 ft up with zero control over the outcome had my palms sweaty and heart racing days before I even had to take a trip somewhere, and no matter how hard I tried to keep my mind off of it, I couldn't help but lose sleep over upcoming flights I had.

This wasn't your normal uneasy feeling about flying - this was full on terror. So bad, that when I buckled my seat belt and prepared to take off, old women sitting beside me could see the look on my face and the heavy breathing and asked if they needed to hold my hand until we got up in the air.

It was that bad. No exaggeration.

When I got into my early 20's, I had a habit of avoiding or ducking anything I didn't like or was scared of. This included tough conversations, negotiations, isolation... asking the pretty girl out and like mentioned above - flying. I think it's our natural survival instinct, our fight or flight mode kicking in, and when it came to fears like flying - I was full on flight (and NOT in a good way. Pun intended).

Being someone who had focused on self-improvement for a while, I had read the books, had felt the courage build up inside of me as each title I read through talked about "facing your biggest fear" but had taken no action yet. I'd gotten right up to the point of making the leap, when I'd look over the edge and back away - yet again.

I think the straw that broke the camel's back was over a girl (because of course it was) that I was interested in. We had a lot of mutual interests and mutual friends, and so we'd always end up seeing each other out and about. It seemed like every time I had built up the courage to ask her out, I'd hit that same wall of sweaty palms, heart racing, knees shaking, lump in my throat type of feeling - and end up backing out at the last second. I always had an excuse for not taking that conversation on.

I think (and probably just my ego talking here) that she had some feelings for me as well, but the fact that I didn't have the courage to go up to her and tell her how I felt about her led her to move on and not look back. No one respects the man standing on the sideline, refusing to take the leap of courage. Getting back home after a night out with the boys and seeing her again a couple months later - except with her new boyfriend, I was absolutely livid ... at myself. That night, something snapped in me - and I came to a new realization.

Never again would I let my fears get in the way of what I wanted. Come hell or high water - I don't care how scared I was or am - I'll face the fears that I have head on and let the chips fall where they may. It is a FACT that if you do not face your fears or have the courage to:

• Start the business
• Ask the girl out
• Post the videos on social media

You will NEVER achieve the desired outcome or goal - and never live the life that you envision for yourself.

That next day after waking up - I thought to myself, what's currently a fear I've held for a long time and have never truly faced?

Flying instantly came to mind.

So how could I face this fear as intensely as possible?

I'd become a damn pilot. But not only a fixed wing pilot - that was too simple and easy. There's too many fixed wing pilots out there and so that doesn't really prove the courage I wanted to show - and it wasn't courage I wanted to show off to others, this was courage I needed to show to MYSELF.

How about a helicopter pilot? I had never been in a helicopter - not one single time. Airplanes were scary enough - but a helicopter? Absolutely no way. Just the thought of it had my heart racing.

So I went straight to the nearest aviation school - and slapped my name down on the application.

Things have worked out pretty well for me since then.

Steven