Lt Colonel Dan Rooney: F-16 Fighter Pilot, Founder of Folds of Honor, Author of Fly Into the Wind

In this week’s podcast, we bring you an amazing guest – Lt. Colonel Dan Rooney – an Air Force F-16 fighter pilot with 3 combat tours in Iraq under his belt, two Top Gun awards, and countless military decorations. Dan recounts his life dreams as a 12 year-old boy, which have now come to fruition – to be a fighter pilot and a PGA golf professional. He also founded “Folds of Honor”, whose mission is to provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of wounded or killed military service members. Folds of Honor has provided 30,000 life changing scholarships totaling over $140 million dollars. Dan, a man of great faith, speaks of the importance of God in his life and the daily motivation it brings.   In this episode you will hear: I had an unlikely dream for a 12 year old kid, but ultimately God would put those two together for a much higher purpose. I felt the hand of god on my shoulder. He picks the least of us to do something significant. Just grow up and do what you love. Don’t be a prisoner of common assumption. The most successful people in the world, are the people that are the best in handling life when things aren’t going their way. We are defined on a daily basis when it doesn’t go our way. When you meet the families that you help and you see the impact that you have – that’s what keeps you leaning into the wind. Engineer a code of resilience in your life. Use your talents to make a difference – to be fulfilled. As a pilot, we need resistance to ascend – Our lives aren’t any different. Be the best version of yourself regardless of the chaos around you. If we have one skill, it’s being able to take in copious amounts of information at high speed, and prioritizing what matters. If you want more blessings, you’ve got to bring God with you every day. Every interaction I have - I will bring my faith to it. My 3 “never quit” motivations: I’ve never quit praying; I’ve never quit showing up at the gym and; I’ve never quit on my marriage.