Flying Blind, but not really.
- Dave Bolt
- May 19
- 2 min read
By David Bolt, Founder of TenXed
A True Story: Flying Blind, but not really.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh climbed into his fragile, single-engine aircraft—The Spirit of St. Louis—with a bold vision: become the first person to fly non-stop from New York to Paris.
But here’s the incredible part—his tiny plane had no front window. To save weight and fuel, Lindbergh sacrificed forward visibility. He couldn’t even see where he was going.
So how did he succeed?
Vision was his transportation. The dream of landing in Paris lifted him off the ground and carried him over the vast, dark Atlantic.
But vision alone wasn’t enough. He relied on his mission for orientation—a precise, disciplined commitment to staying on course. Using dead reckoning, minute-by-minute adjustments, and relentless focus on his instruments, Lindbergh didn’t just drift—he oriented his way through uncertainty.
Thirty-three and a half hours later, he touched down to a hero’s welcome in Paris.
The Big Idea: F.L.Y. Your Mission and Vision
F: Fix Your Destination (Vision as Transportation) Vision lifts you off the runway of the present and carries you toward a better future. It doesn’t just describe where you’re going—it emotionally transports you there. It’s the compelling picture of the world as it could be.
L: Lock Your Bearings (Mission as Orientation) Mission keeps you on course. It’s the daily discipline that answers, “Are we headed in the right direction?” Without it, you’ll drift on the winds of distraction and burn fuel on wasted effort.
Y: Yield to Realignment Conditions change. Storms arise. True leaders know when to make subtle corrections and when to chart a whole new heading—without losing sight of the final destination.
Vision is Transportation. Mission is Orientation.
Vision says: “This is the destination worth everything.”
Mission says: “Here’s how we’re making sure we don’t get lost on the way.”
Leaders who live only in Vision never leave the runway. Those stuck only in Mission might stay busy—but they’ll never arrive.
When you align the transporting power of Vision with the orienting discipline of Mission, you gain unstoppable momentum.
And like Lindbergh, even if you can’t always see the path ahead, you’ll still land exactly where you’re meant to be.
Dave Bolt
Live. Love. Create
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