Goals Are Like Pilots and Donuts

2025-12-10

You set a goal. You write it down. You're ready to go. Then life blows you off course. Your boss keeps you busy. Your spouse questions your plans. Your kids need you. And suddenly you're nowhere near where you wanted to be. Sound familiar? Pilots deal with this every single flight. The wind blows them off course, so they course correct. They crab into the wind. They adjust their heading. And they still arrive at their destination for that $375 hamburger. I break down why you need to stop expecting a straight path, start...

You set a goal. You write it down. You're ready to go.

Then life blows you off course.

Your boss keeps you busy. Your spouse questions your plans. Your kids need you. And suddenly you're nowhere near where you wanted to be.

Sound familiar?

Pilots deal with this every single flight. The wind blows them off course, so they course correct. They crab into the wind. They adjust their heading. And they still arrive at their destination for that $375 hamburger.

I break down why you need to stop expecting a straight path, start planning for the winds of life, and master the art of course correction. Plus, why the Krispy Kreme hot donut sign is the perfect metaphor for goal achievement. If you've been frustrated that life keeps getting in your way, this changes how you think about reaching your goals.

Featured Story

I live in Daytona Beach. We've got airplanes everywhere. Flight schools, banner towers, the whole deal.

And when you look up, those airplanes are flying crooked. The nose is pointed off to the side because the wind is blowing from the west.

Looks scary, right?

But the pilot knows exactly what they're doing. They've set their course for Georgia, and if they don't correct for that western wind, they'll end up in Bermuda instead of getting that hamburger.

So they crab into the wind. They course correct. They adjust their heading.

That's how you hit your goals too. Life's going to blow you off course. Plan for it.

Important Points

The winds of life will always blow you off course — your boss, your spouse, your kids, your responsibilities — so stop expecting a straight path to your goals.

Course correction is the skill you need, just like pilots do when wind pushes them sideways — adjust your heading and keep moving toward your destination.

If your goal isn't sufficiently motivating (like a hot Krispy Kreme sign), you won't bother to wind correct at all and you'll end up somewhere else entirely.

Memorable Quotes

"The winds are going to blow. Life is not going to get easier. It was never designed to be easy."

"You probably didn't think about it, but you thought that I set my goal, I'm going to go do it. But suddenly the winds blow you off course, and you can't figure out why you're not getting there."

"If that donut sign is not on, if the goal is not sufficiently motivating, I am not going to wind correct at all. I'm going to end up somewhere else."

Scott's Three-Step Approach

Set a goal that's big and exciting enough. Make it so compelling that you'll actually do the work to course correct when life gets messy.

Expect the winds to blow you off course. Your boss, spouse, kids, and responsibilities will push you sideways — that's just life, so plan for it.

Master the art of course correction. Like a pilot adjusting their heading into the wind, keep making small corrections that get you back on track.

Chapter Notes

00:00 - When life's winds blow you off your goals

04:30 - Why Daytona Beach airports teach goal setting

08:15 - The pilot's secret to reaching any destination

11:45 - Your spouse disagrees and now what happens

14:20 - Life was never designed to be easy anyway

16:40 - The Krispy Kreme hot donut sign principle

18:50 - Course correcting your way to what you want