Research suggests pilots may have a few personality traits in common, traits that can work for us or against us at times.

A NASA paper published in 2004 reported the results of personality surveys completed by 93 commercial pilots, and derived a "pilot personality profile" that aligned well with similar work done previously with military pilots. They found pilots tend to be "an emotionally stable individual who is low in anxiety, vulnerability, angry hostility, impulsiveness, and depression. This person also tends to be very conscientious; being high in deliberation, achievement-striving, competence, and dutifulness. They also tend to be trusting and straightforward. Finally, they are active individuals with a high level of assertiveness.”

Discipline is an important—if not defining—characteristic of a successful pilot. Disciplined adherence to minimums can disarm the danger of “achievement-striving” when the weather is against us, or temper our “high level of assertiveness” when there’s reason to question whether to proceed.

A friend once told me, “Discipline is the difference between what you want now, and what you want most.” It takes time and a lot of hard work to achieve something worthwhile—to become an expert, show proficiency, and pass exams. None of that happens without discipline.

Discipline drives us to achieve what we set out to do, and it can help us make smart decisions about not completing things we had our hearts set on.

Sometimes flight planning can be tricky, and weather can be fickle. Things break, and pilots fumble. So, there will be times that the prize we want to pursue is out of our reach because of circumstances far beyond our control. If it’s not an aircraft maintenance issue, it’s the weather, and if it’s not the weather it could also be a feeling that something is off, but you just can’t put a finger on what exactly it is.

It takes discipline to push back on external pressures—we learn that early in our flight training. (“External pressure” is the “E” in the acronym PAVE, remember?) And often it takes even more discipline to reflect on potential overconfidence in our ability to handle whatever situation might arise when there’s something out there in the universe trying to tell us we just might not.

Ask yourself: What do you want most? Then reel in those hazardous attitudes (macho, anti-authority, impulsiveness, invulnerability, resignation) and immunize yourself against them with appropriate antidotes.

The prize isn’t going anywhere. It will still be there for the taking after the aircraft gets fixed, the storm passes, or you’re feeling back at the top of your game.