As kids, we were unafraid to dream big. Minus the social awkwardness of the teenage years, we generally weren’t swayed by other people’s expectations of us or their perceptions of our dreams. For some odd reason, the older we get, the more susceptible we are to being influenced by society’s expectations of us. Somewhere along the way, we seem to subdue our dreams, become more reserved in our ambition, and guarded against judgment from others.
Failures can knock us down, make us lose confidence in ourselves and can threaten to prevent us from trying again. When I was in pilot training, I failed one of my earliest checkrides (an important “flying test”). I encountered a plethora of maintenance problems when I went to start the jet, which was frustrating. But, once in the air, I flew pretty darn well. However, once on the ground, the instructor informed me I had failed the checkride.
Accountability is powerful when it comes to relationships, whether personal or professional. It is an acceptance of responsibility for one’s actions and implies a willingness to be transparent in terms...
Nicole Malachowski |
Harness the Power of Your Own Resilience Resilience is a person’s capacity to respond to pressure and the demands of daily life. It is the ability to deal with problems...
Nicole Malachowski |
In England, during the Elizabethan Age, young women were bound by strict social conventions, including traditional norms based on gender. These social expectations are reflected in the literature of the...
Nicole Malachowski |
The structure of the military helped me streamline internal communication and successfully lead my team, and some of the basic principles can be applied to any business. Here are six...
Nicole Malachowski |
Taking on a leadership role is exciting. The greatest honor of my career was serving as the commander of the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. In that...
Nicole Malachowski |
Spring is here and that means it’s time for deep cleaning! This type of reset is good for more than just your closets or garage. It’s also a good time...
Nicole Malachowski |
Women’s History Month makes me think about the incredible women aviators that have come before me. I’ve always been encouraged by the legacies of iconic women aviatrixes like Bessie Coleman,...
Nicole Malachowski |
When I was selected for the Thunderbirds in 2005, I did not fully grasp the level of interest people would have in me becoming the first woman pilot in the...
Nicole Malachowski |
I’m a huge fan of Impressionism. The painting style has always spoken to me on a deeper level. Recently, I was able to take my kids to an interactive Monet...
Nicole Malachowski |
We’re all familiar with how an avalanche starts. You’ve seen it in the news, learned about it in science class, and it’s been depicted in countless movies. There’s a bunch...
Nicole Malachowski |
If there’s a lesson that the last few years have taught us, it’s that the world can be incredibly unstable. It’s not just our own lives and jobs that we...
Nicole Malachowski |
It would be nice to have unlimited assets to minimize struggle and always be set up for success. However, in the real world, that rarely happens. We all have limited...
Nicole Malachowski |
