We arrived in plenty of time, exactly three hours before we were due to take off. There was no security check, surprisingly enough, and then they told us that the flight was cancelled.
We could have just gone home and waited for them to call when they figured out if and when the flight would take off. Or we could go and wait in the line to reschedule our flight, see if we could catch a flight through Europe instead.
We went to stand in line.
Along with about 250 other people.
And then the fun started.
After almost four hours waiting in line, we were finally given tickets for the next flight out that would bring us to our destination.
Of course, it wasn’t the ideal way to spend 4 hours, but I was amazed by the reaction of some of the people around us.
‘You can’t be serious’
‘This is horrific’
‘It’s a disaster’
‘We’re suffering here.’
I have to admit, the thought crossed my mind. Tell me about a hurricane or typhoon, sudden death, human trafficking – that’s disaster and suffering, but cancelling a flight, oh please.
Of course, it got me thinking about how we tend to react to all our ‘special’ situations. How we, so often, let the incidents that occur to us, define us.
When everything is going well, we say that life is good, we are good
And when we are challenged, suddenly we begin to question everything.
It’s insane.
And of course, it got me thinking about business.
I reminded me of the 5 Tips for Avoiding ‘Disaster’ in Your Business.
1. When something goes wrong, breathe deep and smile
That’s right, keep calm and if nothing else the extra oxygen will give you more thinking power to come up with an alternative solution and keep you in action.
2. Know that it could be much worse
It’s true, it can always be worse and if you concentrate on the doom and gloom of stuff not being exactly as you expected, it probably will get worse!
3. Keep it in perspective
If you look at the big picture, you’ll see it probably isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be.
4. Find where this is a blessing
Yes, I know this one sounds impossible, but believe me, there is a blessing in every moment – this one too. You can find it, go on!
5. Be thankful
Gratitude is the key to happiness. And you can be thankful for this ‘disaster’ even just because it’s a reminder of how resilient and amazing you really are.
So, as I wait for that flight that we have been diverted to, I am truly thankful. I got to write this!!
It’s your turn, what ‘disaster’ are you thankful for today?
