We are magicians...

When I conjure up the image of a magician I have two distinct visions: the illusionist on stage who is dedicated to expanding our belief in the possible, and the wart-faced hag bent over the cauldron designing a curse. There is magic that betters us, and there is black magic. We are all capable, skilled practitioners of both I'm afraid and it is so important that we endeavor to constantly choose to do good by each other.

Every interaction we engage in can go either way. As I was writing this very article I caught myself unloading on an employee who was out of alignment with my perceptions; actually it was about 15 minutes later that I realized I had just used my power to stop him in his tracks and I couldn't believe how seamlessly I had slipped into black-magic mode. I pulled my car over and took out my iPhone, hoping to cast a new spell that would reverse the first spell.

The moral of this short story is that it is important, and all well-and-good, to wake up every morning with the intent to do good, to make this world a better place; but it is equally important to monitor every interaction, all day, to ensure that we are succeeding.

Post-script: Those of us who are seeing this post in our capacity as educator, or flight educator, need to be doubly sure to focus on using our power to enlighten and elevate our students at every turn. Many times a day, we will be engaged in our routine, daily chosen-life, but we will be engaging someone who is in the midst of a defining, peak experience in their life. We are the ones who will impel them down one path or the other. Cast a good spell!