Dare 3 - March 2025
How did things go when you said no in February? What did you discover? Here's a summary of my results.
Now that it's March, I invite you to dare to see the possibilities. Let’s start with a metaphor: What if your life were an airport?
Keflavik Airport, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2024
Waking up every day, you have many possibilities ahead: local travel, international travel, restaurants, and gift shops. However, there are other aspects of the airport that aren't as exciting: flight delays and cancellations, bathrooms in dire need of clean-up, lost luggage, and long TSA lines.
It's always a choice: how do you want to spend your energy?
Waiting at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, France - 2023
I was recently in a long TSA line with my sister, waiting to board a flight out of Orlando, FL. I could have handled this in many ways. One possible series of thoughts were:
Augh, I can't believe they don't have more TSA staff. This is going to take forever. I hate waiting.
Is that other line moving faster? Hey, that guy was behind me earlier, and now he's ahead. Darn it, I should have switched lines earlier.
Oh geez, I'm now stuck behind this large family who are trying to get their luggage, backpacks, and strollers on the X-ray conveyor belt. And wouldn't you know it, grandpa forgot to take his keys out of his pocket. And he is still wearing his belt, which will set off the alarm. And now their baby is crying. Why me?
Random check: me? But I'm not a terrorist. Why do I have to go through this?
Where's my bag? I put it on the conveyor belt, and now it's not coming out. Augh! I should have checked it. Wait, no, then it might get lost, and that would be awful.
The checked luggage lottery ticket - if you win, you get to keep your bag!
If we do a quick rewind, let's consider a second set of thoughts:
Wow, those TSA agents have a tough job, working with the general public who are anxious, frustrated, and tired. I'm glad they're keeping everyone safe.
While I'd rather not be waiting in this line, I still have time to talk with my sister, which we would be doing on the other side, regardless of whether or not there was a line.
It's a real challenge traveling with a large family and tired little ones. I remember how exhausted I was when I did this with mine. I admire how the mom is doing her best to keep everyone moving and with a smile on her face. What she's doing is not easy. Kudos to you, Mom!
I don't like random checks, but then again, it's just a few minutes, and I have plenty of time to make my flight.
My bag will get here. Screaming about it won't help anything, and I can do a silent 1-minute meditation while I wait.
Thankfully, my sister and I chose the second set of thoughts and our passage through TSA was easy, even though it was longer than originally anticipated. We talked, laughed and barely noticed the people around us.
Because we managed our thoughts and our energy, we arrived at our destination feeling fresh and happy to be on this trip together. Had we focused on the first set of thoughts, we would have spent a lot of energy feeling angry and resentful over something we had no control over. We would have arrived at our destination grumpy and depleted.
This is your dare for March: I dare you to see the possibilities in your day. Would you rather focus on traveling to a new and exciting destination? Or focus on the inconveniences and mishaps that come your way?
And of course, a few coaching questions for you to consider as you try this out:
What shifts do you notice in your energy when you choose one set of thoughts or the other?
How do those shifts in thought affect your overall outlook?
What are you giving up if you choose the more positive thought patterns?
Looking forward to hearing how things go for you with this experiment. Bon voyage!
Cynthia
Flying from Bergen to Oslo, Norway - October 2023