He was barely old enough to walk, but his dad thought it would be cool to introduce the little guy to airplanes.
So off they went to an air show, where little Neil sat atop his father’s shoulders and watched the flying acrobats.
Three years later, he took his first ride into the sky, aboard a small airplane affectionately known as the Tin Goose. It was July 20th, and he was five.
Thirty-three years later—to the day, strangely—he climbed out of a different flying machine and kicked up some lunar dust. On July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon.
This Saturday is the anniversary of both of those achievements: Neil’s first airplane ride, and the day he descended the steps of the Eagle lunar module. There’s something about the date coincidence I find very powerful.
You see, from an early age Neil was energized by the idea of flying. I can only imagine how big his eyes must’ve been at that early air show, and how his pulse probably raced once he was strapped into the tiny cockpit at age five.
That energy—what we often label passion—never faded.
It doesn’t matter if you’re five or fifty; the thrill of discovering a new passion, of finding that one special thing that hijacks your thoughts and—more importantly—your heart, is profound. Too often we sleepwalk through life, through our routines, and we become numb to the truly magical things that once inspired us.
But that one thing . . .
It’s still there for you. For Neil Armstrong, it was simply a matter of looking up from the perch on his dad’s shoulders, probably shielding his eyes from the sun, absorbing the sights and the sounds of mechanical marvels. He was hooked, and he embraced that enthusiasm all the way to the moon.
What about you? Have you grown numb? Did you visualize your dream years ago, but have either neglected it or lost faith in your ability to pursue it?
I’ve been guilty of that. From time to time I need a reminder, a tap on the shoulder, a kick in the pants. I need to shake the numbness away and refocus on what’s really important—not to everyone else, but what’s important to me.
It’s easy to let the background noise of our life grow steadily louder. If social media and pop culture were translated into sound, the accumulated decibels would likely kill us. As it is, they deaden our senses, and we look up to see that five years have slipped by.
Instead of using January 1st as your marker for instigating positive change in your life, why not borrow Neil’s lucky day? It’s hard to imagine an event more inspiring than a moon walk, a milestone that was decades in the making. Let July 20th—or today, for that matter—be the beginning of your own moon shot.
What giant leap will you make?
Dom Testa took his giant leap and has been making a living with words since he was 16 years old. Today, he helps others forge the same path. Subscribe today and never miss a new chapter.