Going against the wind [or just go with the flow]

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. ~ Henry Ford

Do you sometimes feel like everything [and everyone] is working against you?

I think we all get those feelings from time to time. It is easy to have a defeatist attitude. It is much easier to go with the flow than it is to fight the wind.

While there are good points to "going with the flow" there are also many more good points to fighting the flow.

The waterfall at the left gives a good example of why sometimes there is a difficult choice for us to make. I don't think it would be very judicious of us to attempt to paddle up this waterfall—but then, neither would paddling down it!

This would be a perfect storm of having to make a decision when neither option was admirable!

But I digress, the point is, when everything seems to be going against you, remember it is easier to take flight against the wind than it is with the wind!

But how can this be so?

According to the travel website—cntraveler.com— "Without wind, the plane has to accelerate to a groundspeed of 180 mph to lift off, but when you have a 30 mph headwind, the plane only has to accelerate to 150 mph, thanks to the extra boost it gets from the headwind."

I don't know much about aerodynamics, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. All I know is that it works! Hundreds of airplanes take off every single day using this method and it works almost 100% of the time.

When we are designing and writing our websites, we are going against the wind. We have people who tell us it is "foolish" or a "waste of time and money." We have opposition within ourselves. But the bottom line is these things will help us take flight faster.

Another factor in flight that I wasn't aware of is the air pressure on the wings. Going into the wind acts to create a suction on the wings of the plane that lifts it.

We don't usually think of pressure as a "lifting" experience because we are inclined to think of it as a pressure holding us down.

The website also said you can test the air pressure method like this: "You can see how this works by taking a strip of paper that's, say, two-inches-by-11-inches-long, and blowing lengthwise along the top of it, creating a headwind. The paper will lift up because of the pressure changes resulting from the flow of your breath, similar to what happens to a wing. But blow on it sideways, and the paper ripples wildly..."

When you are feeling pressure, you might just have to adjust your direction. Sometimes that might mean doing something new and fresh with your site. It might mean changing your physical environment.

It might just mean setting your sails in an entirely different direction. Sometimes it means just sailing into the wind and keeping things steady.

I keep sailing on in this middle passage. I am sailing into the wind and the dark. But I am doing my best to keep my boat steady and my sails full. ~ Arthur Ashe

Whichever metaphor you use for your progress and journey through life and through building your dream into a reality, just remember that going against the wind—against the flow—can get your where you want to go faster. Just remember to keep steady at whatever you do.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Best wishes,
Karin :)