Embodying a mindful, opportunistic mindset
I board a plane in Bismarck ND. If you’ve ever been to Bismarck, you know, it’s a tiny 4 gate airport where you can get through security in 5 minutes with little, if any, lineups. Needless to say, the plane is small with a max capacity of 48. The plane is half full, which I love, as it allows for single seat occupancy. The chance to sit quietly and not have to engage in idle chit chat with someone you don’t know. That’s my idea of a good flight. I’m sure many of you frequent flyers are nodding along. As I board, the stewardess comments on my t-shirt and we have a chuckle. I walk down the narrow isle with a smile on my face. As I get to my seat, the gentleman across the isle from me smiles and says hello. I respond politely and take my seat. And then it begins. My t-shirt reads “beach bound”, which was his opening to ask where I was going. The idle chat ensues as I quietly curse myself for wearing this t-shirt and inadvertently welcoming the conversation. I decide to just relax and go with it. He seems normal and nice, so what are a few minutes out of my day?
Let me explain something, for those of you that are confused. As an introvert, these casual conversations are hard. There’s no purpose, no goal to be achieved, so no real clues as to when it might end. So when these spontaneous conversations erupt, it puts me on edge. My comfortable go-to response is to jump into my coaching mode of asking questions and being curious about the other person, deflecting the attention away from myself. In this case, Robb, my flight partner, made the conversation easy and light. Lucky for me, these types of conversations usually turn to a career focus quickly after the weather has been analyzed, and that’s where I feel right at home.
Within minutes of Robb knowing my profession, he’s sharing information about a company that he's a retired partner of, where my services would be welcomed and needed. He’s telling me the problems the staff faces and how I can get in the door with a sales pitch that will work. I didn’t ask. I didn’t put my own sales pitch on. I just sat in the space of being curious about the other person and the rest unfolded. What I’ve learnt over the last few years is that people like to talk and they will share immensely if given the opportunity to have someone just listen to them, really listen. And when you give them that space, where they feel heard and understood, they’ll reciprocate and want to help you.
Our conversation didn’t actually last a long time, but it was purposeful and to the point. I smiled and settled into my chair once we were done, with the new realization that even idle chatter can quickly progress into meaningful interactions, if you allow it. So what’s opportunistic about that? Well, I could've easily put my headphones on, turned my eyes downward and not made any attempts to interact with anyone as I boarded the plane. But I didn't. I looked around, made eye contact and enjoyed the humanity of those in the same situation as myself… enjoying the amazing experience of flight that we have come accustomed to taking for granted. I welcomed the idle chit chat and the chance to learn something about someone new. Gratefulness settled in.
Let’s jump ahead about 40 minutes into the flight. Emergency medical landing as a woman had passed out. Another new experience for myself and one that was handled brilliantly by those involved. Reminder that life is oh so short and we need to embody every experience as if it was our last.
The opportunity here, as we sat on the tarmac waiting for the EMT to do their job? Robb and I chatted a bit more and discussed a 30 day online program he was participating in. Within minutes he had his laptop open and was emailing me a link to his Dropbox files, so I could listen to one of the mp3’s. Again I witnessed unprovoked actions out of the kindness of his heart. I was amazed at this man, the entire experience and soaked up all the juicy learning I’d just received.
My takeaway? Look for more opportunities to connect with people, for the sole purpose of learning about them. No hidden agenda, no sales pitch, just connection and humanity. The benefit ? Human interaction at its finest, where I can meet someone new and ‘come out of my shell’ a bit more. And the bonus….a door opening to new learning and potentially a new client.
As a side note, this entire interaction and connection, in addition to writing this article, all happened in less than two hours. We’re just taking off again, all with the hopes of making our connections and arriving at our final destinations, Calgary for me while Robb heads to Austin. Usually blog articles take me awhile to generate, but in this instance, I leaned into the opportunity, inspiration and idea when it arose. Maybe I am getting the hang of this opportunistic mindset idea after all.
And as a final update, on the last leg of our flight, over drinks purchased by Robb, we had a great conversation about his next venture, whereby he’s entertaining the idea of building a new business that addresses mindfulness for men. We both spoke of our experiences within the corporate world and how this was a much needed area of focus. He saw the alignment between our business models and it afforded me the opportunity to share a bit with him about how to connect with potential clients in this area. We’re now connecting on LinkedIn and will keep in touch. I expect there’s a synergy that's been built and our paths will cross again. As we left the plane and rushed to our connections, I know we both tapped into our own mindfulness during the flight and will embody the opportunities that will come out of our chance meeting.
All this enlightenment, in one regular Thursday afternoon. Life still amazes me, when I pay attention to the little things.
