✈️ "I'm holding on too tight." — What Top Gun Taught Me About Control

Cougar

There's a scene in Top Gun that says everything about stress, fear, and letting go.

Cougar lands after a dangerous flight, shaken. He hands in his wings.

The Commander asks, "Why?"

Cougar replies: "I'm holding on too tight. I've lost the edge."

That line is powerful.

Because it's not just about flying a jet.

It's about what happens when we get scared, and try to grip life too tightly—when we think our strength controls the outcome...

We lose our edge.

Here's what I've learned, what I practice, and what I've coached for decades:

We don't get better outcomes by gripping harder. We lose our edge.

Our thinking narrows. We lose peripheral vision. We can't see the future.

We achieve better outcomes by shifting from hanging on too tightly to loosening our grip.

So, instead of...

•Trying to control what others think of you ➡️ Focus on being who you are.

•Planning every step ➡️ Take the next right step and adjust as you go.

•Clinging to what worked in the past ➡️ Stay curious about what might work now.

•Forcing a decision before it's ready ➡️ Sit with the discomfort and let clarity arrive.

•Replaying what went wrong ➡️ Acknowledge what you've learned and keep moving.

•Waiting for perfect timing ➡️ Act when you're ready enough.

•Micromanaging every detail ➡️ Trust the process (and the people) a little more.

Because here's the truth:

We can't control what we can't affect.

But we can influence how we respond to the moment.

And loosening your grip?

It opens up space to breathe, gain insight, be resilient, and feel more at peace.

You don't have to let go completely.

You can just loosen your grip.

When it feels scary, when you feel like you can't, and you grip tighter…

Take a beat and loosen your grip.

Try it. One beat. One shift. Want help loosening your grip and stepping into something new—like earning online, moving abroad, or shifting how you work? I coach people through transitions like these every day. If you're navigating uncertainty and want support, reply to this email to learn more.

You don’t have to do it all alone. Sometimes loosening your grip starts with one good conversation. 💬