Flying Above the Obstacles
“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the
obstacles.” — T.F. Hodge
Ah, air travel—the modern-day test of patience and resilience. The weather never
checks anyone’s schedule and airlines never consult their passengers before making
decisions, so, yes, everyone traveling via air must find a way to remain calm and carry
on even as their personal schedules disintegrate before their eyes.
Recently, thanks to some overly ambitions rain clouds I found myself caught in a classic
airport delay. The airline pushed back my departure time, causing me to miss my
connection, adding six additional hours to my travel time and me with zero control over
the situation.
Instead of spiraling into frustration, I took a deep breath and checked my airline app. Lo
and behold, they had already rebooked me! But could I do better? I scrolled a bit further
and spotted an earlier flight leaving in 30 minutes. It was full, but they put me on
standby, or, as I like to call it, “airline roulette.” A game of: If someone doesn’t show up,
you get their seat. If everyone shows up, well… enjoy your time in Terminal Limbo.
Luckily for me, someone either got lost, overslept, or decided they actually did want to
stay an extra night in airport purgatory. I got on the plane recouping some of those six
hours of additional travel time and made it to my destination much closer to my original
schedule.
Here’s the thing: frustration usually hits hardest when we cling to the illusion of control.
We set expectations, make promises, and then—boom—life happens. And sometimes,
life happens in the form of thunderstorms, overbooked flights, or a middle seat between
two professional armrest hogs.
The lesson? Stay focused on the outcome, not the obstacles. Things won’t always go
your way, but if you roll with the punches (or in this case, the flight delays), you might
just land a better seat on the journey.
Keep flying higher than the obstacles,
Jeff
