Fly Quiet: Please Use Noise Abatement Procedures

As my plane was pulling onto the runway for takeoff, I noticed a sign that instructed the pilots to implement a procedure that would reduce the amount of noise that the plane makes when taking off. This program is designed to lessen the deafening effects that airport noise has upon the residents of neighborhoods near the airport.

As I thought about the meaning and impact that this instruction held for the pilot, I equated the airplane noise with the inner noise in my mind. There are times when the inner dialog is somewhat negative and distracting. It can be so annoying that I wish I had an instant turn-off switch.

You have probably experienced this same feeling when you think about the many demands in your life that it is difficult to shut off the distracting thoughts. It seems that night-time is when the noisy chatter of the mind can be deafening.

How do we quiet the mind? What noise abatement procedures can we use to fly quiet and give our minds a rest? I think that it starts with recognizing that we have an inner noisy chatterbox, which we can control. It also requires understanding some of quieting techniques such as meditation, self-hypnosis, being out of doors and allowing it to calm our minds.

Being near water has a soothing effect for me, as does sitting out of doors underneath a tree and closing my eyes. It is amazing what we can smell and hear; the perfume and symphony that Mother Nature offers us can bring us back into balance and harmony.

What in your life needs quieting? Is there a certain thought that seems to dominate your life? Do you wish to abate the noise and static in the mind and to regain control over the negative message that is played over and over again?

Take a moment, listen to the message, understand what the message is about and then when it begins again, think or say, "Stop!" Once you have gotten the mind's attention, change your focus to a more productive thought process. Just as pilots of plane need to be reminded to abate the noise, so must we, as pilots of our minds, take action to "fly quiet."


“I am the pilot in charge of my thoughts. I will lift those thoughts to higher and more productive heights.”