Your Flight Is Canceled #1815

I started typing this onboard a Delta plane getting ready to head back home to Austin from Norfolk, Virginia via Nashville Tennessee.

My flight last night was canceled.

Which, of course, provided the PERFECT opportunity to practice our philosophy.

Here’s a rough snapshot of the last 18 hours…

Step 1. Flip the switch.

Invite the best version of myself to show up as I commit to stepping in between a “negative” stimulus (the flight being canceled) and a less than Heroic response (whining about it).

Boom. Let’s go.

Michael and I checked into a hotel near the airport late, I got up early (one of the very few times I’ll use an alarm this year), hammered the 11-minute 101-burpee hotel workout (which I absolutely love) and decided to find as many Micro-Moments of Awesome as possible this morning.

🎯 🎯 🎯

The Micro-Moment Target fest started with the Uber driver. Then the woman checking me in. Then several TSA folks.

I took a moment to celebrate the TSA supervisor for his great staff. He pointed to a sign with a QR code on it and asked me to do a quick survey as most people just complain.

I said: “Roger that, sir!”

All of that wound up leading to some really special moments as I asked for his name and a couple of people on his team.

Now…

It’s hard to put into words just how powerful these simple (!), intentional micro moments of awesome are for me.

I’m buzzing typing this feeling into the power of positivity resonance….

Then…

LITERALLY (!) as I typed that while sitting on the plane past the time we were supposed to take off, the pilot came on the airways and told us that, unfortunately, they had a mechanical issue and THAT flight was ALSO being canceled.

So…

Of course, I laughed.

The Heroic gods are so wonderfully clever, aren’t they?

Then I got off the plane.

The new flight is in 6 hours.

PERFECT.

I flipped the switch again and asked myself a simple question as I enjoyed a Reactive Discipline training session…

Question: “What’s the best possible response to this?”

Answer: “Thank the Heroic gods for their cleverness. And HAVE FUN practicing your philosophy!”

Then I smiled.

Then I thanked the Heroic gods for another little opportunity to practice my philosophy as I reminded myself how long it would have taken me to make the same trip a couple hundred years ago and committed to NOT WHINING about 6 HOURS being tacked on to what would have been a 6 MONTH trip.

Then I found an agent to get me on the next best flight.

Pro tip with that one…

Don’t stand in the line with the other 100+ people at your gate. Go to an adjacent one where there is no line. 😉

Then I had an INCREDIBLE interaction with the Delta agent who was remarkably calm and confident and diligent in getting me the next best option home. I thanked him and celebrated those virtues I admired.

Target swipe: Micro-Moment of Awesome 🎯
Target swipe: See Virtues in Action 🎯
Target swipe: Celebrate Someone 🎯

Then I got another 15 minutes of movement in (with my backpack ruck) to hit my 10,000 steps.

Then I did some work.

Then I FaceTimed the family and…

Guess what happened?

While I was walking back and forth to get some steps while connecting with the wifey and kids, that incredible Delta agent runs up behind me and taps me on the shoulder—telling me: “I’ve been paging you trying to let you know they fixed the plane and your flight is departing. I’m so happy I found you as I know how excited you were to get home to your family.”

I got goosebumps typing that and tears in my eyes when he did that.

And…

That’s Today’s +1.

When life gives us a few little lemons, let’s squeeze them for all the virtue-juice they’ve got.

It’s Day 1.

We’re ALL IN.

Let’s go.

🫡 🙏

P.S. Reactive discipline is a phrase I got from my Yoda. As we’ve discussed, Phil Stutz says there are THREE disciplines: Structural discipline, reactive discipline, and expansive discipline.

Structural discipline = our protocol—knowing who you are when you’re at your best and DOING THOSE THINGS with RELENTLESS (!) consistency, especially when you feel like 💩.

Reactive discipline = what we just discussed = the ability to choose the best possible response to any situation.

Expansive discipline = saying “Bring it on!” when you feel the discomfort of being outside your comfort zone. It’s basically courage in action.

Learn more in these +1s (“The Three Disciplines” and “The Three Disciplines, vStutz”) and our Notes on Phil’s latest book: Lessons for Living.