During the last two months of July I had the chance to travel to China with my family. Our time in China was amazing and it will definitely be referenced in future posts.
A side effect of this trip was that we wound up literally flying around the world – Boston/Chicago/Beijing on the way there and Beijing/Frankfurt/Boston on the way home. To me that was pretty cool and not something most people probably get to experience.
While my Kindle was loaded with books for this trip and the planes had a long list of in flight entertainment there was still plenty of down time to think and reflect. In that down time I realized three things that seem obvious, but are often ignored; People are pretty nice, My comfort zone is holding me back and Please and thank you are the ultimate icebreakers.
1. People are pretty nice
Going through airports you simply see thousands of people, there’s no way around it. Lets face it too, there is some stress involved with traveling. From Kiosk checkin and getting through security to ground delays and over booked flights, there is plenty to try your patience.
I saw more nods of quiet acceptance and displays of understanding than I expected. More surprising to me was the total lack of outbursts and anger. Maybe people understand the facts around flying these days but it was still impressive.
Having everyone calmly work together within the rules won’t grab clicks and eyeballs the way a great story about someone losing their cool will. As a parent traveling with three kids though I was glad we didn’t have a memorable angry flier story.
2. My comfort zone is holding me back
Sitting anywhere for 14 hours straight is uncomfortable. The middle seat in coach does nothing to change that. I spent a lot of time thinking about being home on my porch watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee.
It dawned on me somewhere near the arctic circle that all I had waiting when I got home was a porch with nothing to do. This past year I had competed a few big projects, the family trip to China being the last of them. When we got home I realized that I had nothing significant to work on.
I’ve read so many articles and stories about people who had success with their writing only after some difficult event forced them to commit to their work. I want to earn my success before it becomes imperative.
Daydreaming about my stories and writing a few hundred words a day is over. Write, publish, repeat is my next big project.
3. Please, thank you and a smile are the ultimate icebreakers
Flying to China is a true multi-national experience. Multi-lingual flight attendants and people from the world over create a unique experience. While English was almost always present it wan’t always clear communication.
One of the skills I have been working on is connecting with new and interesting people. I started our trip armed with a few great opening questions to help me learn about different ways of life. The challenge with these connection questions is how to break the ice. You don’t simply walk up to a stranger and ask “Is Beijing your final destination?”
My kids helped me discover this one. In addition to surprising me with their good manners, they were engaging with people about our trip and what we were going to see. People weren’t afraid to ask them about their trip because they are polite and speak clearly.
Present yourself as an open, rational person and others will be more comfortable engaging with you, even if it takes a little work to communicate.
We had an amazing time in China and thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of flying around the world. I personally learned and experienced so much that I will be talking about the trip regularly for quite a while.
I wanted to share these three things today because they were on the top of my mind. In the coming weeks there will be more about our trip.
Have you had the chance to fly around the world?
