My family and I have decided to spend the New Year’s Holiday in one of our favorite places this year- Maui. Yet our trip almost never got of off the ground this past week as our plane stopped abruptly after leaving the gate. Our pilot got on the loudspeaker and told us we were dealing with a weight issue that should be resolved in a few minutes.
Being a frequent traveler, this is something I’ve encountered a few times before. As I understand it, complex computer programs carefully map out the weight of the plane, flight path, fuel consumption, airspeed, weather, and a host of other variables all in the name of safety. Since my entire family was traveling on this flight with me, I didn’t mind the wait.
Yet after a 15 minute delay to get it right our pilot got back on the loudspeaker and informed us that due to our full flight they simply couldn’t make the weight calculations work and we would have to return to the gate and remove the extra “jump seat passenger” in order to take off.
As we parked back at the gate I noticed the disappointed airline employee apologetically walk off the plane and we left the gate to began our cross country journey again without further incident.
What struck me the entire flight was that this gentleman added no more than an extra 185 pounds to the over all weigh of our aircraft and in the grand scheme of things didn’t really seem very significant. How could this tiny bit of extra weight have such an impact on this massive aircraft.
And yet with all of the technology at our disposal, all the engineering manpower and hours of planning this extra bit of seemingly insignificant weight would have grounded our plane and ended our trip before it ever got started.
This occupied my thoughts for the entire flight and the meaning of this has become my message for the New Year to everyone that I come into contact with.
All of us have some extra weight we carry around with us, and I’m not talking about around your waist. I’m talking about those seemingly insignificant things that burden us all. We’ve gotten so used to holding onto this useless baggage that it’s hard to imagine life without it.
Much like my recent flight, this extra weight we have loaded on is keeping us from taking off to our most meaningful destinations and preventing us from fulfilling our purpose in business and in our lives. How are we ever supposed to achieve our goals if we sabotage them at the very beginning with this extra baggage?
Ask yourself today what is weighing you down. Be it- guilt, pain, hurt feelings, toxic relationships, stress, debt, a feeling of being wronged by someone, or simply something we are clinging to that has long since passed the use-by date. Whatever the cause resolve in the New Year to rid yourself of this extra weight so you can soar to new heights this year and make 2017 the best year of your life.
Here’s 10 Quarter Turns to get you started off right!
- The only constant in life is change so remember –Change is inevitable, growth is optional- make a good choice.
- Take time everyday to “unplug from the matrix”- Studies prove that sleep is for your body, your mind needs mental rest as well. Take a few minutes everyday to disengage your mind so you can re-engage more powerfully.
- Eat food that grows instead of food that is processed or packaged, you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.
- Set the bar high for yourself by writing down some clearly defined goals that you plan to accomplish this year.
- Before you crack open your in-box in the morning, take 10 minutes to decide on your own agenda first. E-mail is a nice neat filing cabinet of other peoples needs and agenda, so create your agenda first.
- Wherever you are, and whoever you are with-BE THERE- fully present, engaged and aware.
- Anger is a complete waste of time and productivity and remember- when you are angry you will make the best speech you will ever regret.
- Clear out the clutter in you life. Throw out, donate or remove anything that has passed the “use by date” including those toxic relationships that you’ve been meaning to discard.
- Surround yourself with people that inspire, support and cheer you on. It’s much easier to accomplish something amazing when you have amazing people around you.
- Be a life-long-learner. After a challenging situation ask yourself “What happened?” “What outcome would I have preferred? “What will I do differently the next time?” “What did I learn from this? “How will I apply it?
Please post your own below-
and Happy New Year!
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