Lt. Col Dan Rooney, Air Force Fight Pilot and Founder of The Folds of Honor Foundation, Episode 174

Listen Here Now on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you listen to podcasts)

Lt Col Dan Rooney, an Air Force fighter pilot and a force for good. From humble beginnings above his garage, he founded The Folds of Honor Foundation to provide educational scholarships to the families of disabled or fallen military members, and, beginning in 2022, the mission was expanded to include first responders. In his new book, FLY INTO THE WIND: How to Harness Faith and Fearlessness on Your Ascent to Greatness, Lt Col Rooney demonstrates how we are all connected by God, and the path to fulfillment begins with changing ourselves to better one another.

Lt Col Dan shares his faith in the concept of synchronicity and how chance and purpose allow God to bring people into our lives that shape us. He shares the incident that planted the seed of Folds of Honor in Lt Col Dan’s mind and the moment he felt the hand of God on his shoulder calling him to do something more significant with his life. He also explains why he believes that all great leaders need to take that big step and have the courage to take action before they are ready, and surrender to a higher force.

“Great leaders have got vision, and they've got humility.” - Lt Col Dan Rooney
“Resistance isn't placed in our lives to keep us down. It's actually in our lives to raise us up.” - Lt Col Dan Rooney
“You are the sky; everything else is the weather.” - Lt Col Dan Rooney

This Week on The Wow Factor:

Dan’s early life and the lessons about hard work that his very first job at the Stillwater Country Club, Oklahoma, taught him
The chance encounter that made him realize what he wanted to do with his life
How Lt Col Dan came to be compared to Tiger Woods
Some of the challenges that Lt Col Dan has encountered in his life, including recognizing that his ego was getting in his way
Lt Col Dan’s code of living based on CABU (Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited) and how he used it to get through some tough times
Lt Col Dan shares the two most significant barriers to achieving your goals
The power of forgiveness and how getting rid of that parasitic drag can transform your life
The importance of having a routine in staying motivated
Why Lt Col Dan firmly believes that if you write your plans down, they are more likely to happen in your life
Why Lt Col Dan appealed to Jack Nicklaus to support American Dunes and how it helped them raise $1.1 million for Folds of Honor