Fasten Your Seatbelts.
Last week, just as I was leaving Las Vegas a dust storm hit. Visibility was limited and the once blue sky turned a reddish brown.
As we boarded the plane, the pilot stepped in front of me.
“It’s a windy one out there,” he said.
“Yeah, but you’re a pro. You’ve got this,” I replied.
He turned, a devilish grin on his face and said, “Hope you don’t mind a bit of turbulence.” 😳
According to the very intelligent Google, turbulence is violent or unsteady movement of air or water. Also - conflict or confusion.
Turbulence. Chaos. Disarray. Conflict. It comes in life when you least expect it.
Work is going smoothly then suddenly there are corporate layoffs.
Your daughter finally got into Mother’s Day Out. You get to work on your side hustle for 3 glorious, uninterrupted days a week. And then she gets a fever, MDO calls and she’s home sick.
Or, your kids wake up before the alarm, get ready without your prodding and you even get out the door to school with time to spare. And then you get rear ended by a distracted driver as you leave the neighborhood.
As Alainis Morissette says, “Isn’t it ironic?”
Turbulence.
It seems as if it’s always there, lurking in the corner wondering the best time to strike. When it does how do you respond?
Last week we sat on the runway for 30 minutes before fighting the wind all the way to 39,000 feet. During that time, I looked around and saw very different responses to the inconvenience.
Me - I closed my eyes and visualized the outcome I desired - our plane safely, and rather smoothly, making it through the dust to the awaiting sunny skies.
The gentleman in front of me put in his earbuds.
The couple behind me closed their eyes and were fast asleep.
The woman to my left, let’s just say she was a mess. Literally a hot mess. She fidgeted with the air for several minutes before she complained to the flight attendants. She begged for alcohol, got out cash and tried to bribe the flight attendant. When that went nowhere, she called her husband to complain about the situation and update him on the delay before being asked a second time to put her phone in airplane mode. Then, she asked for alcohol again, begged to go to the bathroom, bit her nails and redid her ponytail at least 12 times.
To say that woman wasn’t handling the delay and turbulence well is an understatement!
This got me thinking about how I handle turbulence, not just in the skies but with the conflict and chaos that comes in every day life.
How do you handle turbulence?
Do you fall asleep at the wheel and trust that autopilot will get you through? Do you pop in those earbuds, jam to your favorite tunes and try to make the most of a rocky situation? Or do you fidget and fight it even more, struggling to see the bigger picture?
Sometimes I shut down or distance myself from others. Other times I meet it head on, lean in, and call my coach who helps me move through it rather quickly. Almost always, I visualize the outcome I desire before making any move. I’d encourage you to try that.
Once we reached our cruising altitude, the storm that had been brewing - the one we’d been fighting - dissipated. Blue skies surrounded us.
If you are currently experiencing turbulence in your life, hang in there. How are you responding? Is that how you want to show up or do you need to make a shift? Remember, blue skies are awaiting you just above the clouds.
