Why airports make me giddy ✈✈

When I walk into an airport, I feel genuinely giddy. I love having on my travel outfit (all black, with flats for speed walking), the perfectly packed carry-on (with packing cubes inside to keep everything super organized), TSA pre-check boarding pass on my phone.

As I power walk to my gate, soy latte in hand, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. 

When a client recently mentioned that she hated airports, I couldn’t believe it. How? Why? 

“Everything feels out of control. You never know how long the security line might be, my gate might change, my flight might get delayed or even cancelled.”  

True. I’ve definitely experienced every single one of those in my many years of business travel. 

So why does the experience of airport travel feel so different for the two of us? 

We simply have two different thoughts about the same situation.  

Thought 1:  “This is beyond my control and I feel uncomfortable. I’ll feel better when this is over.” 

Thought 2: “This is an adventure. No matter what happens, I can figure it out. I can solve any problem.” 

Neither thought is the “right” one, but think about how your airport experience would be with the thought of “this is out of control” vs. “this is an adventure”. 

Our brain defaults to Thought 1. In an effort to keep us safe, our brain is always trying to keep us on alert for potential danger. It’s not a problem that “this is out of control” is the thought that pops into your head. But always know that you can choose another thought and have a much more pleasant experience.  

 PS I wrote this while my daughter was sleeping on the floor of my office. She was miserably sick with strep throat. 

Thought 1:“I can’t write this now. I’m not going to get anything done today. I’m so behind already and it’s only September 1.” 

I journaled a bit and came up with 

Thought 2: “This is an adventure. No matter what happens, I can figure it out. I can solve any problem.”

PPS If you’re ready to think on purpose, instead of reacting to "Thought 1", I'd love teach you how. Set up a time with me to learn more.