Airports make me into the worst possible version of myself. From long before I get to the airport, I'm stressed out about missing my flight to making sure I have everything packed. On the way to the airport, the people on the road ahead of me are mere objectivied obstacles. And once I'm in the door in the TSA line, I'm making horrible judgments about the people ahead of me and how they're probably just stupid idiots who don't even know they have to take their shoes off or aren't competent enough to take off a belt quickly enough. And it does not stop until I get off the plane at my final destination, because obviously the fools in the seats in front of me can't get off the plane right either.
And it's all because I must get to the gate 2 hours ahead of time because... I don't know why. I am just completely insane with that idea. I've never missed a flight, so I have no idea what happens when you actually miss one. But my instincts tell me it's pretty bad.
The reason I hate it is pretty simple: it's the process I go through that I can control the absolute least of. I can't control traffic. I can't control the TSA or the FAA. I can't control the people in the security line. I can't control the airport. Or the airplane. Or the flight attendants or the pilot. There's just so much I cannot control in such a condensed period of time that I lose my mind, every single time time.
Maybe I need to use the airport to challenge the best possible version of myself. To forgive rather than to be forgiven. To love rather than hate. To not just worry about what could go wrong, but to do my best to help things go right.
Ok. Let's let our minds settle down for a little bit. Take a minute here to let your mind wander and go where it wants to go. Then I'm going to ask you some questions for the week ahead.
Ok. Are you ready for your questions? I'll ask you your question and give you a minute after each one to write or reflect on each one. Here we go with the first question:
Where will you struggle most this week?
How can you help things go right this week?
Where and when are you the best possible version of yourself?
How might we see that version of you more often?
Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you tomorrow on the Morning Checkin Podcast.