Inspiration on a Plane

I realized today, when my plane was about to take off, that in life there are many paths to success. You can take a car and stop along the way to engage in whatever grabs your attention and it can slow you down, take you in the wrong direction, or in the right direction; anything can happen; or you can take a plane, with jet engines, at a super-fast speed. Once you take off, there’s no turning back. The momentum behind you is so powerful that you have no choice but to be there for the ride. You’re nervous, excited; you’ve got this unsettling feeling in your stomach, with your heart racing, but you know that you’re on the right path, the path you chose. You set your destination, you set your course, you chose the direct flight.

Then you take off, soar into the air, no turning back. The world feels small, houses, people and places from far and wide are in your view. Flying out of LAX, crossing over the beaches to the Pacific Ocean is a magnificent feeling. The plane turns around and takes you back, across California; you see where you came from, your take off point, clearly, and where you’re going. Flying over the mountains that reach into the distance, snow-capped and beautifully cascading, you reach the desert and it all looks like one of those plastic 3-D topographic map models. It’s phenomenal. I love that part of flying.

You can fly in life too. You can sit in front of the t.v., watch the movie, as time passes, or you can be part of the movie, write the script, direct the outcome. Once in a while you might want to just watch and observe, learn and take it all in. It helps you prepare to contribute your part, like the actor waiting to go on stage, watching the story of the previous acts unfold, the musician listening and watching the opening act, or going to a great concert to observe and learn and feed off of the energy of a beautiful experience.

There might be turbulence along the way, but you know that when you have the momentum pushing you, the momentum of a jet engine, you’re going to get to your destination and you’re going to get there fast, as long as you’re pointed in the right direction and the team is working together. If you want their help and inspiration, you have to appreciate the people who get you there. Without the pilot, co-pilot, flight attendants and air traffic controllers, your mentors, your teammates, each with a different role, you can’t get to where you want to go.

You could take a small plane and fly there yourself, but only if you’ve learned the way. You’ll probably get there, but not as fast as you would with a team, with the fastest vehicle you can get. So choose your destination, choose your path, choose your vehicle, choose your timing, or don’t, and let the path choose you, but you might not like where it’s going. Use the tools you’ve learned to take you there; appreciate the people who got you to where you are now and appreciate what you’ve received. Then you are in a position to recognize and receive the blessings that will come along the way and people will be willing to help you get there, because you’ve given them the gift of appreciation.

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