Accompany me on this metaphorical journey “above the clouds”! Amazingly, it’s only for roughly the past 100 years of human history that we’ve had the physical ability to fly above them; that achievement helps greatly with the imagery.

If you want to lift your life up, or build your career up, a periodic trip above the clouds is necessary to clear the air and gain focus. With your head stuck “in the clouds”, as the saying goes, you can’t see very far and it’s often a bumpy ride; anyone who has climbed or descended through the clouds in an airplane knows exactly how their stomach feels and that it is rather difficult to focus on anything else at that moment.

At ground level, you can see your immediate surroundings and the clouds above you. Often those clouds dish out weather that you have no other choice but to accept and deal with its consequences, which are occasionally severe. If you are traveling above them, however, it is possible to avoid the tempest, at least for a time. It’s not necessary to book a flight to experience the phenomenon I’m describing; other getaways can produce a similar effect.

To think above the clouds goes beyond merely viewing things From a Distance . While it is beneficial to consider your work both up close and from a distance, your mind remains focused on the task at hand or the initiative in progress. Occasionally, it helps to remove those elements from your field of view altogether and to clear your mind of ground-level clutter. When you manage to transport your mind above the clouds, you’re no longer trapped by what’s going on below; your view expands all the way to the horizon and above to the heavens. It’s no wonder that pilots love what they do.

A momentary escape above the clouds expands Vision and enhances Clarity of thought. It is there that new or renewed Purpose can be found. But you can’t exist up there forever; the air is thin, wind currents are strong and it becomes progressively colder the higher you go. A return to earth through the clouds is necessary and, if you are truly fortunate, you’ll bring something back that will contribute to the quality of your life and those around you.

Tempus Maximize!