I like to sit in the aisle when I fly. It gives me the illusion of control. Sure, I know right up in my cerebellum that if the plane goes down, it’s a fiery inferno for all of us — but still, the idea of having some control has always been my thing.
Today I jumped on an earlier flight from Philadelphia to Boston, meaning I could get home faster and get more done sooner. The only seat available was a window seat. I put on my favorite mix of acoustic music (Thanks, Mitch!), took my hand out of my bag of snacks and my face out of my screen of distraction just long enough to rest my chin in my palm, stare out the window, and be awed by the wonder of it all.
I saw dirty industrial parks, I saw sprawling mansions in tony neighborhoods, I saw rowers getting in their last practices before the ice takes over the river, all while the ground hurtled faster and faster away.
Challenge Your Path: Slow Down
The juxtaposition of a slowed down Howard Jones crooning away in my ears, and the bounds of earth rapidly being left behind hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that I never slow down, I never take notice, and that I need to just stop and absorb the beauty of it all.
It got me thinking that we do the same thing with our lives. We are so busy achieving, that we forget why we are achieving in the first place.
What if we slowed down? What if looked around and took in the full picture? How would it change our view? How would it change our destination?
I encourage you during your holiday travel to stop. Just stop. Slow down. Look around. Make eye contact. Take a breath. Challenge your path, decide if it’s for you (and not for everybody else). Use this space to find the grace of slowness, or reflection, or examination.
Why are you doing what you are doing?
Does what you do reflect who you want to be?
And, if not, what is missing?
The need to answer these questions is why I wrote my new book, Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life, available now on Amazon.com. I can’t wait to bring it to you in the new year.
I can’t wait to read it, LGO. Count me as one of your biggest fans.
Love this. It’s such an important part of leadership – particularly as it relates to emotional intelligence.Our old friend Confucius said, “Learning without reflection is a waste. Reflection without learning is dangerous.”