No Guts No Glory

Posted on April 17, 2026 by eternalpioneer

Can You Imagine?

Can you imagine Christopher Columbus standing on the shore gazing out at the endless Atlantic Ocean? At the time, everyone believed the earth was flat, and if you sailed out far enough, you would drop off the edge into some kind of abyss. But Columbus had doubts about this theory, and it seemed a bit bizzare to him.

What would the edge of the world look like? Would it be one continuous waterfall with the sea spilling over the edge? Wouldn’t that drain the ocean? What if there was no edge? Then the water would stay where it is. He may have looked at the moon and saw how round it was. Maybe the earth was round, too. That idea sparked a dream in Columbus that would change the world forever.

The Dream Drives the Guts

Once he had that dream, a fire was lit in his soul, and the guts to pull it off were a just a byproduct. This brings up a vital point… the dream drives the guts. Without a vision to strive for, there is nothing to fight for. That same vision drove Joseph Loomis in my book, The Great Idea.

Dreams, Guts and Glory in The Great Idea

The Great Idea has plenty of dreams, guts and glory. Columbus had discovered the New World in 1492, but that world was still new and intimidating a hundred years later. England didn’t settle a colony until Jamestown in 1607, and later, Plymouth in 1620. These first settlers were intrepid pioneers, and their dreams and guts inspired thousands more to make the trip across the Atlantic. Joseph Loomis was one of them, and his dream of freedom gave him the guts to leave his known existence for an unknown land and take his wife and eight children with him.

See “7 Qualities of a Pioneer”

Dreams, Guts and Glory Today

Sadly, not all of us can discover the New World or fly around the moon, but dreams, guts and glory are still with us today. They are a part of the human makeup. Here are a few examples:

The Dream

The dream does not have to be earth-shaking, but it should be life changing for you. One day you read an article or see something on TV and you say, “That is really cool. I could do that.” You might be a factory worker and get the idea to be a paramedic, or look up in the sky and want to be a pilot. If you have the guts, your life will be completely different in five years.

The Guts

The guts are what it takes to achieve the dream. You have to fight for it. This usually entails activities you don’t want to do. Going back to school, getting certification, getting up early, moving to another city. It takes guts to get out of your comfort zone, but if your dream is strong enough, you will do whatever it takes… and you will not quit!

The Glory

I once had a t-shirt for black diamond slopes at a ski resort that said, “No Guts No Glory”. The glory in this case would simply be making it to the bottom without compound fractures. The glory in any endeavor is coming out on the other side, looking back and saying “I made it!.” There is nothing more satisfying than having a dream, applying the guts to get it, and realizing you are in a new world.

Doomed to Sameness: The Agony of Not Trying

Posted on March 21, 2026 by eternalpioneer

What Does it Mean to be Doomed to Sameness?

Are you doomed to sameness? What an odd question, but to some, not knowing what is out there is no big deal. They are not curious, they have no goal to pursue, and they don’t have the drive to pursue it. They are content with what they have and have resigned themselves to staying that way to the end.

To others, this is an intolerable state of affairs. Staying the way you are is tantamount to being doomed to stay the same forever. They may be content for a while, but sooner or later, they get a spark, a crazy idea. If that idea is successful, they will enter a new realm, and the rest of their life will be vastly different from what they know now.

The possibilities eat away at them, the fantasies of all they could be consume them. Then someone or something says, “Maybe you shouldn’t do that. You know this could happen or that could happen.” Hmmmmm. Could this be true? They muddle this over for a minute then realize, “If I listen to this, I’ll suffer the agony of not trying.”

See: The 7 Qualities of a Pioneer and Let Caution Triumph Over Glory?

The Seed Has Sprouted

But it’s too late. The seed has sprouted, and it is growing. “Not try, you say? Curb your tongue! Away with such a fellow! To the executioners!” By the time you’re at this point, the pain of not knowing what would have happened is far worse than the pain of any bad consequences for trying.

Limitations Are Like Chains

“It isn’t enough just to have a dream and work hard to fulfill it. The pioneer is willing to leave behind all the known quantities of his present reality because he sees them as limitations. And, those limitations are like chains to him. He might as well be in leg irons in a dungeon with one little window where he can watch the world outside change and grow while he is forced to tolerate an eternal hell of sameness.

When he sees an opportunity that will enable him to break free of those limitations and latch onto an enterprise with untold possibilities, he has to take it. He is compelled. He will not be able to live with himself if he does not at least give it his best shot. It doesn’t matter that some people will die, others will suffer shipwreck, still more will become discouraged and turn back. He never believes it will happen to him.

The previous is a book excerpt about this mindset of a True Pioneer in From Woodstock To Eternity,

Dream It – Do It!!!

Posted on March 24, 2020 by eternalpioneer

Dream It

You want to fly airplanes? Are you crazy? What makes you think you can do something like that? Most aspiring young pilots come out of peer groups with an attitude something like that. In fact, most people with grandiose ideas are surrounded by people who could never imagine themselves doing anything so far out there. This is because most people are stuck in their present mindset, have no vision for their future, and don’t have the drive to go for it even if they did. They had a difficult upbringing, are content with where they are, or just have no idea what they want to do with their lives. They have no dream.

This reveals the sad truth that only a small percentage of people actually do have a vision they are pursuing, and they are the ones who reap the sweetest taste of success in their lives. If you have nothing to conquer, you will have no victory.

Realizing Your Dream – The Highest Level of Human Needs

Aviation Instructors learn this in the study of Human Behavior. In a pyramid of human needs, basic food and shelter are the first level, progressing through security, love, self esteem and finally to the peak of Self – Actualization. Not everyone gets to this level. In fact, many do not even reach satisfaction in the areas of inward and outward self esteem. This is why so many sermons and self help workshops focus on propping up our self image.

Be All You Can Be!

The top level, on the other hand, follows the motto of the Army to “Be All You Can Be!” Another way of looking at it is “achieving what you were called to do.” In the Bible, Jesus told a Parable about Talents (Matthew 25:14) that are given to each of us to put to use during our walk in this life. Paul refers to Spiritual gifts (Romans 12) that are given to each of us that empower us to fulfill our calling for God. Unfortunately, most of us never find out what we are called to do, much less get around to doing it, which leads to the final point.

Do It!

A Turning Point in Dustin Morgan’s transformation in “From Woodstock To Eternity” comes in a talk with his sister about what he really wants to do in life. The party hardy days had just about run their course, and he knew it. She pressed him to imagine with no boundaries. “All I’ve ever wanted to do is fly airplanes,” he said. Then Sis raised the bar. “Imagine yourself in the cockpit of a 727.” It blew his mind. “I have never allowed myself to go that far… do you think I could do that?” Of course Sis had the answer… “With God anything is possible.”

They set out a plan to find out how to get flying lessons, hired an instructor, bought a cheap, second hand Cessna 150, and he was on his way. He worked his way into the commuter airline industry, but then things fell apart. Finally, almost 40 years later, he resurrected his dream and became an instructor for young flight instructors eager to go to the airlines. There is no greater thrill than to stand on the other side and know that you dared to dream, put in the work, and made it happen. This is why I write on top of the marker board at the beginning of every class…