On Gratitude: Who Packs Your Parachute?

Charlie Plumb was a US Navy pilot who was shot down over Vietnam and spent six years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. One time, long after he was back in the States, a man came up to his table at a restaurant and said “You’re Charlie Plumb, you flew jet fighters off the Kitty Hawk, and you were shot down!”

Plumb asked him how he knew so much, and the man said: “I packed your parachute.”

Plumb later reflected in his motivational speeches that he never knew the man existed. He probably passed by him hundreds of times while on the ship and never even said hello, but if the man had not done his job, Plumb would not be alive today to tell the story.  

At least Plumb got the chance to personally thank the man for his part in his life. We all have people packing our parachutes—sometimes we’ve needed them and we’ve been grateful; maybe we haven’t needed them yet but they are sitting there ready, just in case. And all because someone has done their job.

All of us who have had any modicum of success in life like to pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves on what we’ve accomplished with our talent, grit and vision, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But fortunately we have Thanksgiving which comes around once a year to remind us that none of us is in this alone; none of us would enjoy success without the contributions of countless people in our lives. That is what Thanksgiving is all about.

Who is packing your parachutes? Have you thanked them lately? Have you let them know that you recognize the contribution they have made or are making toward your success?

On Thanksgiving, I want to personally thank everyone who has helped pack my parachutes. If you are receiving this email, it’s because you have contributed to my success in some way: you’ve hired me to work for your company, you’ve attended one of my workshops, you’ve read and supported my blog, and so on. If you are reading this email: THANK YOU. And Happy Thanksgiving. Please take a moment to thank someone today.