Episode 109: Tailwinds and Headwinds
Hello Everyone, and welcome to the podcast of the Ordinary Maverick. This is Ajey, your host, an ordinary Maverick sharing real life thoughts and experiences and Maverick tips. If you haven’t hit the subscribe button yet, please do so, and you’ll not miss another episode.
We’ve completed a quarter of the year! The speed of passage of time never ceases to amaze me. Time propels forward regardless of any factor, right?
But many times, one does need a push to move forward, right?
If you travel as much as I do, I am sure you’ve wondered sometimes on the duration of your flight. Even on round trips, there is a difference in flight timing each way. For example, it’ll be like 6 hours one way and then the other way, it’ll be 5 hours 20 minutes or something. And if you’re a curious Maverick, like I am, ha ha…you’ll wonder why is this so? You’re going and coming from the same place, so why the difference in time? Why is it shorter one way?
I experienced this recently on my trip to London. There was a 45-minute difference while coming back…flight timing was a bit longer. And it got me thinking and reflecting and here’s my take on something that’s known as ‘Tailwind’. A strong tailwind is defined as a force or influence that advances progress toward an improved condition.
In the case of planes and flying, a tailwind is a wind that is blowing from behind an aeroplane, boat, or other vehicle, making it move faster. A tailwind can cut the flying time by half an hour.
Flying in tailwind conditions increases the ground speed and reduces the airspeed of an aircraft.
So what’s a headwind? Headwind is wind blowing towards the aircraft. It increases the lift, so pilots prefer to land and take off in headwind. Gives a nice push and makes for smooth touch downs and lift offs. While doing this with a tailwind…as it blows from behind the aircraft can make it more challenging and bumpy too. So, it’s better to have tailwinds in flight as it’ll help the aircraft go faster, saving both time and fuel.
Another way to think about it is - Imagine there are two planes flying across country and opposite directions. One will have a headwind and one will have a tailwind. Even though the distance to travel is the same for them both, the plane with the tailwind will get there faster because they have the benefit of an unseen force supporting them.
And this is not just for flying. For example, it could also be applied in other settings, like if the general housing market gets better then it’s providing tailwinds for the home improvement business. The more houses that are sold, or rented out, the more people are going to go in for doing home improvements and the more that sector also benefits. See, how the tailwind force works?
There’s another kind of wind, Crosswind, which is wind blowing from the side of the aircraft. Big changes in crosswinds during landing can cause problems and even making the aircraft deviate from the runway centerline.
But let’s go back to tailwinds and headwinds. Interesting to note that a headwind for one sector can be a tail wind for another and vice versa. Let’s keep to the example of the airline industry. If the fuel prices fall, it’s great, it’s tailwinds for the airline industry as jet fuel is the biggest expense and the profit margins go up dramatically. But it’s not a tailwind for the oil sector. In fact, it’s a headwind. As oil prices drop, the stocks of oil companies start falling and that negatively impacts the oil companies and all other related sectors. It may even affect employment in this industry as revenue decreases and cutbacks happen.
See how the sectors get impacted differently from a related phenomenon. And tailwinds and headwinds get interchangeable.
Many factors are at play here, Political climate, regulations, stock markets and sometimes can also be natural disasters example, the recent COVID 19 pandemic…it was a headwind for the entire world…with the global shutdown, businesses closing and stock markets crashing…unemployment rising. But and here’s the big BUT….it was a tailwind for some sectors…example, digital technology. I mean, recall how everyone suddenly was using Zoom, the internet use was at a peak. Alternative careers came into being…. a tailwind of sorts for many with regards to their personal lives and a chance to reconnect with nature and themselves plus close family.
Made me start thinking of how we should pay attention to the headwinds and tailwinds in our own lives. Just as a pilot, a flight engineer, and a flight navigator would understand the wind directions, and the headwind and tailwind as they prepare to take off to their destination and take these factors into account for their flight plan…building in the precautions and ensuring they reach their final destination safely….we too should be doing the same in our lives.
Recall when you fly, the pilot will often announce that there may be turbulence, and to be prepared, fasten seat belts etc, or will alert to say there may be some bumps along the way, bit of a choppy flight…Very important, come to think of it…as she/he is preparing us for the journey. And is doing that after understanding the wind factor, the headwind and the tailwinds.
Reflecting on my own life, there were times when the headwinds came on in full force…and everything seemed difficult and an uphill struggle. Even with a strong headwind, I now know,..with experience and reflection, that just as a strong headwind can be difficult for one sector, but become a tailwind and great for another….it was the same in my life.
Each time I got a no for a job that I wanted, bad headwinds that kept pulling me down, making me take more time to get to where I wanted to be…it was a tailwind for me to look elsewhere, keep pushing, find other opportunities, meet more people, widen my network so to speak.
So yes, headwinds on the one hand in getting a job. But tailwinds for building my network and getting better and better at interviews, applications – ha ha.
Most importantly it is to analyze situations in your life and see if they will be tailwinds or headwinds and plan accordingly.
Just like a pilot does for the flight plan.
You might have heard of the famous saying, you are the pilot of your life’s journey – so true when one looks at what we were speaking about, right?
Recently, I’ve come across many friends and people in the extended network that are challenged by the economic situation. More so across the younger folks. Thanks to my young daughters, we get a chance to interact and learn quite a bit about what’s happening in their world.
And the headwind for retaining your job is strong. It’s a time of uncertainty impacted by many factors, most of which are out of your control.
So, here’s where the ‘flight plan’ idea comes in play. Plan for the headwind ahead. Turn it into a tailwind for propelling you fast in a direction that you’ve planned for – the more you do that, the more in charge you will feel and the more the confidence and positive energy. And nothing like positive energy to make you stronger and attract even more tailwinds to spur you on. But it’s easier said than done. Requires grit, courage, perseverance, determination and a never can die attitude.
I’ve seen some remarkable headwind turned tailwind recently in our circle. People that got laid off, had timebound days to find a new job and did it. Also seen how repeated headwinds have provided opportunities that were not on the radar and changed lives around for the better…becoming tailwinds.
For me personally, COVID 19 was a headwind professionally. Like many others, I too experienced the drop in my work opportunities, and it was tough. Well, I built on the tailwinds, and one of the things coming out was this podcast series!
Fellow Mavericks, create the flight plan for your life and account for the headwinds and tailwinds. Just like a good pilot, you too will safely fly and reach your destination.
Do keep writing your comments and sharing feedback at ‘theordinarymaverick@gmail.com’ and follow me on Instagram #theordinarymaverick. I love hearing from you. This is Ajey, signing off and wishing you have an amazing day and a super amazing year! Keep well.
This podcast series was put together as a team effort from the Bhardwaj family. Concept, design, title, researchers and reviewers: Ajey, Sanjana, Avantika and Niharika Bhardwaj; Script– Sanjana; Cover design – Niharika. All rights reserved.