Lift-Drag ratio

Aircraft designers want to maximise the lift-drag ratio of an aircraft. An optimised ratio means that the aircraft has maximum lift and minimum drag which implies that the aircraft is doing the most work with minimal fuel.

The aircraft is lean and there is minimal wastage of resources. To do that, and to put it simply, designers can choose the wing shape and foil shape for the intended flight speed, streamline the body, remove unwanted protuberances from the fuselage, and sweep back the wing if the aircraft is flying at high speeds.

Lift is essentially the useful force that is generated when the aircraft is in motion. Drag on the other hand is the unwanted force when the aircraft is also in motion. To see these forces in action, the keyword here is that the aircraft must fly.

Contrast that to our life, we should also strive to maximise our "lift-drag" ratio. So, to experience these forces in your life, you must be in MOTION. Like the aircraft, you should move and strive for your goals to reap the positive benefits that work brings. The benefits can be tangible stuff like material wealth, to intangible stuff like happiness, job satisfaction and a general sense of peace. You could be involved in social service work, cooking for your family, or just doing your best in your job. When your life is moving, you reap some benefits along the way. The key for you is to identify these as you trode along. Once you have found out what perks you up, you have found your lift force. Kudos.

On the flipside, you encounter various problems and obstacles when your life is in motion. You make mistakes, you have problems with your superiors and sub-ordinates, the computer may crash on you, your high heels get stuck in the railings.... the list is endless. Like drag, you wish to have the least problems and hope they never show up. You can minimise your problems like minimising the drag force on the aircraft and each person will have their own bag of tricks to do that. But you can't expect zero problems just like an aircraft cannot have zero drag. To offer a solution here is not my aim but to put it in a cliche .....

"Plan for the worst... Hope for the best"

If you do this in your life, essentially you are maximising your Lift-Drag ratio.