12 Seconds That Changed the World: What the Wright Brothers Teach LDS Women About Choosing Their Own Dreams
A dream is a strongly desired goal or purpose.
Not something you inherit.
Or something you perform.
It’s something you choose.
Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright had a dream.
They wanted humans to fly.
At the time, most people said it could not be done.
Others tried and failed.
Some paid with their lives.
Still, the Wright brothers kept going.
They had a dream and they chased it.
Practice Changed Everything
In 1902, Orville and Wilbur believed the key to success was practice.
So they practiced.
They made roughly 1,000 glides.
Not launches.
Or victories.
Glides. Short. Awkward. Mostly unsuccessful.
They kept going, “In skill and knowledge, the brothers now surpass anyone who has ever attempted flight.”
They didn’t just study flight, they felt it.
And they adjusted. Tested. Failed. Took notes. Tried again.
They Dared to Dream
Wilbur and Orville Wright made their dream a reality by thinking beyond what was currently possible.
The distance was about 120 feet, or 37 meters, about half the length of a 747 jumbo jet, and the duration was about 12 seconds.
By today’s standards, it was a very short flight, but at that time it was an accomplishment that few believed would ever be possible.
They continued to ask questions, and look for answers. What if control mattered more than speed? Or if balance mattered more than force?
As a result, they found answers no one else could see.
For many LDS women, they don’t dare to dream.
Maybe you were taught how life should look.
You learned the checklist that you tried to follow faithfully.
Yet at some point, something felt off.
Not rebellion but unanswered desires and dreams.
So you started asking your own questions.
The Moment Everything Changed
On a cold, windy morning, the Wrights achieved the world’s first controlled flights.
After more than four years of hard work and experimentation, it only took 12 seconds to change the world.
On December 17, 1903, at 10:35 a.m., Orville Wright made the world’s first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight.
In that moment, they realized something bigger than success.
Here, they fulfilled not only their own dream but also one of humanity’s oldest dreams.
To fly.
“Flight achieved by dauntless resolution.”
Those 12 seconds did not erase the years of struggle.
However, they proved the struggle mattered.
What President Uchtdorf Understood About Flight
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a former pilot, has often spoken about flying as a way to understand faith and life.
He reminds us that airplanes do not fight gravity.
They work with laws that already exist.
Lift comes from alignment, not force.
When turbulence shows up, pilots do not panic.
Instead, they trust the principles that keep them in the air.
Faith does not require you to silence your questions.
Growth does not require you to abandon yourself.
Wanting Is Not a Moral Failure
This is where many LDS women get stuck.
You learned to put desire last.
You learned to ask what was expected before asking what was wanted.
But wanting more does not make you ungrateful.
Desiring does not make you faithless.
Wanting and desiring a full life, dreaming.
The Wright brothers did not betray humanity by wanting flight.
They expanded it.
In the same way, choosing goals because you want them does not diminish your goodness.
It strengthens it.
Maybe you want something big, awesome. What if it’s something ‘small’ like better prayers. If so I’ve got a FREE gift that will help. Not scripted prayers, but sentences when you are struggling to articulate the words in your heart.
The Questions That Still Matter
So let me ask you the questions the Wright brothers quietly answered with their lives:
What unreachable heights can you reach?
Is there an impossible dream can you make possible?
Not because you should.
But because something inside you keeps nudging forward.
Coaching exists for this exact space.
The space between who you have been and who you are becoming.
Not to push you.
Or to fix you.
But to help you trust your own lift.
If your life feels turbulent right now, that does not mean you are failing.
It may mean you are learning how to fly.
The Wright brothers needed engine power to make the airplane fly. Without it there would have been no life, no forward motion to enable flight, no airplane.
You have an all emcompassing true source of power available to help you reach the purpose of your creation. This is the power of God, exercising a subtle and loving influence in the lives of His children, lifting you and keeping you aloft. It is manifested as the Light of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Do You Want Help Unlocking Your Dreams
If this stirred something tender or familiar, you do not have to sort it out alone. I offer a free Clarity Call where we talk about what hurts, what feels confusing, and what you secretly hope could still be possible. No fixing. No pressure. Just space to tell the truth about your heartache or your dreams and see what wants to come next. If you are tired of carrying it quietly and ready to talk it through with someone who understands this space, book your call and let’s have an honest conversation.
