MY 2 CENTS
Those people are rare, and when you find them, you should hold on to them.
The rest serve a different purpose. They teach you not to confuse activity with relationships. They teach you not to mistake applause for loyalty. They teach you that some people are assigned to a season, not a lifetime. They teach you that being respected for what you can provide is not the same as being valued for who you are.
Once you have lived long enough to see this pattern clearly, there is only clarity, not bitterness. Not everyone who leaves betrayed you; some simply revealed themselves. Not everyone who praises you truly believes in you; some are managing their image. Not everyone who once stood near you was ever truly with you.
That is why your circle matters so much. I once heard something that stayed with me: your circle can either be your power or your poison. Choose it wisely! In aviation, that may matter even more than it does in most businesses, because this industry runs heavily on reputation, referrals, shared history, and trust. The wrong people around you can drain your energy, distort your judgment, and leave you questioning yourself. The right people sharpen you, steady you, and remind you who you are when the noise starts building.
Consider another possibility than asking: What did I do to you? Maybe you told the truth. Maybe you stopped being convenient. Maybe you refused to play the game. Maybe you carried standards they no longer wanted. Or maybe you simply outlived your usefulness to people who never intended to know you beyond your usefulness.
That truth may sting, but it also protects. It teaches you to invest in the people who show up before the funeral, before the victory lap, before the spotlight, and before the need. Those are your people. The others were just passing by.
Randy Rowles has been an FAA pilot examiner for 20 years for all helicopter certificates and ratings. He holds an FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificate, NAFI Master Flight Instructor designation, and was the 2013 recipient of the HAI Flight Instructor of the Year Award. Rowles is currently the owner of the Helicopter Institute.
He can be reached at
randyrowlesdpe@gmail.com
LEVEL D SIMULATOR TRAINING AW139, AW169, H125, H145
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FAA, EASA, GACA, UK CAA, AND MORE
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