As Khrys and I have worked our way into become UX mentors, I wanted to look back at those moments when I learned tough lessons myself.<\/em><\/p>\n Learning something new can be an incredibly humbling experience.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This is why I bring up the time when I learned to fly planes at the young age of sixteen.<\/em><\/p>\n In fact I learned to fly before I learned to drive.<\/em><\/p>\n Let me explain\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n My dad has always pushed me to try new things and not stick to gender norms when it comes to being adventurous.<\/em><\/p>\n In fact the year Khrys and I started Ideate Labs was also the year he officially became a flight instructor (if y\u2019all need flight lessons, email me).<\/em><\/p>\n When I was sixteen we began flight training together on Saturday mornings. He had found a good deal where we could both learn ground lessons for the price of 1 student.<\/em><\/p>\n I spent my last 2 years of high school training to be a pilot. I planned to go to school and get my Mechanical Engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon before going off to be an astronaut for NASA.<\/em><\/p>\n That was my dream at eighteen, but also my dad\u2019s dream for me.<\/em><\/p>\n Flight training involves learning emergency procedures, such as power on stalls, power off stalls, engine failure simulations, emergency landing simulations.<\/em><\/p>\n It was intense but also incredibly exhilarating.<\/em><\/p>\n One of the basics of flight training is who is in control.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n It was either my controls. That means that I\u2019m controlling the plane.<\/em><\/p>\n Or it was my instructor\u2019s controls. He was controlling it.<\/em><\/p>\n We had to hand of controls clearly as well.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYour controls,\u201d he would say to me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMy controls,\u201d I had to repeat back.<\/em><\/p>\n I was in charge. My controls.<\/em><\/p>\n It was a huge weight of responsibility to be given control of a Grumman Tiger at the age of sixteen. Tail number 9550- Uniform.<\/em><\/p>\n But it was my controls. Even through I was just learning, I was gaining confidence every time I said, \u201cMy controls.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n I was also earning the responsibility of flying that plane every time I said it because confidence should never turn to cockiness.<\/em><\/p>\n I repeat confidence should never turn to cockiness. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n It was never okay to think you have completely mastered something.<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s where your ego takes over.<\/em><\/p>\n In flying you\u2019ve got to be constantly vigilant, constantly aware of your surroundings.<\/em><\/p>\n Good situational awareness.<\/em><\/p>\n To this day, my dad watches Day 1 flight lessons to remind himself not to make common mistakes.<\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019s had more than 10 years of training and experience but he remains humble in the face of preparation.<\/em><\/p>\n Preparation for anything.<\/em><\/p>\n So why am I telling you all this? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Because it\u2019s your controls.<\/em><\/p>\n You are in control of your life.<\/em><\/p>\n You can fly towards any goal or any vision that you set for yourself.<\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019ve just got to believe that you can do it.<\/em><\/p>\n Your controls. Your controls. Your controls.<\/em><\/p>\n Don\u2019t ever let the imposter syndrome take over. Don\u2019t ever let anyone else tell you what you are or aren\u2019t capable of.<\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve seen me, you know that I am the least intimidating person you will meet <\/em>\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n I\u2019m short and I\u2019m soft spoken and I certainly don\u2019t look like a pilot.<\/em><\/p>\n But I\u2019ve gotten confident in my capabilities, my controls.<\/em><\/p>\n And yet I know I also have to stay humble.<\/em><\/p>\n Keep my ego in check. Always. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Sometimes when we learn something new, we can\u2019t seem to take our guard down. We still have to seem like we are an expert or someone with a vast breadth of knowledge.<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s the ego.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Sometimes you also have to give up control to learn something new, change your old ways.<\/em><\/p>\n Sometimes you have to say: \u201cYour controls.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This is when you need help, when you need someone else to take over.<\/em><\/p>\n There is no harm or shame in that.<\/em><\/p>\n When something got too hard or I felt extreme stress while practicing an emergency procedure, I would have to communicate it to my instructor.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOkay, my controls,\u201d he would say.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYour controls,\u201d I would repeat back.<\/em><\/p>\n I was always relieved in these moments and humbled by how much more I still had to learn in my flight training.<\/em><\/p>\n In truth, the learning never ends.<\/em><\/p>\n Today I want you to think about 2 things:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Your controls. What do you choose to control in your life? What do you choose to take ownership and accountability for?<\/em><\/p>\n Our controls. What do you choose to let Khrys and I show you and teach you? What help do you choose to let into your life?<\/em><\/p>\n Your controls. Our controls.<\/em><\/p>\n Ok… so I am back. First, a proud parent shoutout – this is an email Samaya sent to her followers worldwide, she is a co-founder of\u00a0 a very successful education startup called Ideate Labs<\/a>. Check them out!<\/p>\n
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