If you've read any other of my blog posts, you might have seen previous references to Joanna.  I've written about her a couple of times as she continues her quest to overcome her fear of flying.  Notice I said "quest."  Nope, she's not there yet.  It's been a journey, and I'm not telling you her story so that you'll be discouraged and not ever begin to work on your own fear of flying.  I just want you to know that for many it's not an overnight fix.  It's a process, but with step-by-step choices, you CAN overcome a fear of flying. 

Joanna made up her mind last November that she was going to get over this.  And the way that she's chosen to get over this is to take many flights, some of which have gone really well and some of which have ended before they began.  I love to listen to Joanna talk about her successes and failures because I learn so much. 

This last time Joanna backed out of a flight, she reported to Capt. Ron and me that "the what-if's won."  If you're a fearful flyer, I don't have to explain what Joanna meant.  I bet you have a whole carry-on bag of your very own what-if's!  What if there's turbulence?  What if the pilot's been drinking?  What if there's a bad thunderstorm?  What if I have a panic attack?  What if we're stuck on the tarmac for hours and hours and I can't breathe?  And of course, the number one, all-time double-whammy favorite fearful flyer what-if:  WHAT IF WE CRASH AND WHAT IF I DIE? 

I didn't ask Joanna what her particular what-if's were that day that she decided against flying.  But what she said the what-if's had made her do was the real issue.  She said that she was so "overwhelmed by the questions that she couldn't call up the answers." 

But the next time she flew was different.  Joanna went back and listened to the recordings of the coaching calls between her and Capt. Ron.  She heard all the questions she had asked and she heard all of Capt. Ron's great answers.  She continually found herself saying, "Oh yeah...I remember now. That's what THAT means."   So she was able to get on the plane the next time, more confident that she could handle the what-if's her mind might serve up.  She had questions but she now had answers.  She pre-boarded.  She met the Captain.  She chose to place her trust in him.  She talked to the flight attendants.  She chose to override her doubts and anxiety. 

And...once again, she flew. 

Joanna has moved past this temporary blip in her fearful flyer journey, onward and upward, so to speak.  She's scheduled a flight to see her sister--the first time she's visited her sister's home in 12 years.  I wouldn't exactly call her a Fearless Flyer yet.  Maybe "Fierce Flyer" is a better term because of her strong determination to get over her fear of flying by gritting her teeth and FLYING.

Will Joanna ever be able to fly without giving it a second thought?    Let's just say she's getting closer with each flight, with each step onto an airplane, with each time she meets her fear head-on, stares it in the eye, and chooses to stay in her seat and fly.