My Blog

My regular readers will be aware that I like to make meticulous plans. What happens though when they don’t go to those plans? What can you do as a result? I’d like to share with you an example of this from earlier this week.

Apart from my continuing work around postnatal depression, I am also part of the company Stratagem Plus Group, as executive PA and coach. One of their programs is the delivery of a two day ‘Firestarter’© workshop on NLP for business. On the second day I tell my story as an example to encourage others to make the most of every day and to be aware that they have a personal responsibility to make choices to improve their lives. I also mark the exam papers and help with the administration needed. Mike and Dave, the directors, are mildly amused by the labelled folders in the large briefcase that I now prepare for them!

So on Monday night this week I ensured I had my boarding passes, passport and other required things as I was flying to Belfast and back the next day to help Dave at a ‘Firestarter’© workshop. My clothes were ready, alarm set and I settled to sleep content that all necessary plans were made.

I was at the airport on Tuesday morning feeling very excited to be a ‘business women’ going on a flight! I never felt I would ever do that when I was a teacher all those years ago and I still get a buzz from my evolving career pathways. I chatted with the team at airport security and was amazed when one asked permission to search my handbag. I continued to chatter away in complete innocence until she removed my treasured Swiss Army knife from a side pocket! Oops! I had completely forgotten that! I almost wailed at the prospect of it being confiscated – I have had it for almost 18 years and it has been used for many purposes in that time (all innocent!). She said that they had hundreds pass through. She gave me the option to buy a padded envelope at the duty free shops and hopefully it will appear back at home for me soon!

As I wandered through the duty free shops I sprayed some perfume on myself. It was later in the day I realised that I had not only put it on my neck but I had brown Chanel no 5 on my white top! Oops!

Next was to check the departure boards. My flight just indicated ‘wait in lounge’. I had a coffee and toast and suddenly noticed that time had passed quickly. I saw my flight was now flashing ‘boarding at gate 16’. Oh flip! I followed the signs as quickly as I could and joined the 08:40 queue for Belfast.  Phew. Then I noticed that it was a Flybe flight. Why was my boarding pass for easyJet? Why did this gate mention ‘Belfast City’ when I knew I was landing at ‘Belfast International’?  Why – I was at the wrong gate!

Which transport planner had sorted that two flights departed to Belfast at the SAME time from the SAME airport? With a sudden panic I then read the departure board properly – I had focused on ‘08:40 Belfast’ and my brain hadn’t seen the ‘City’ bit! My flight was lower down the board! Oops! That was now flashing red and over the tannoy the message was for remaining passengers on the Belfast International flight to make their way to gate 44 as the flight was about to close!

I have never been a sportswoman. Running is not a talent of mine. I then had to run from gate 16 to gate 44 which was a long way! I clasped my coat and bag and ‘legged it’. I doubt I was a pretty sight! I arrived at the correct gate as red as my coat and in a total sweat!

‘Am I in time?’ I gasped to the flight team.

I was – just! I flopped onto the front seat of the aircraft just before their final passenger count and the door was closed! The flight attendant was concerned about me and kept checking I was okay. I suspect she thought I could have passed out. I admit I felt very sick. She gave me some water and it took me the whole flight to cool and calm down. I have never been that close to missing a flight. Worst case scenario was that I would have needed to get a later one. My pride would not have liked that though!

I got to Belfast International safe in the knowledge that a taxi had been organised for me. It had – it was waiting at Belfast City for me! Oops!

By the time I arrived at the  ‘Firestarter’© workshop, Dave was up to a section about how our brains function and interpret information. We tend to delete, distort and/or generalise.

I was able to give a very fresh example of each:-

1. I had deleted the important detail of the destination airport on the departure board – it was there, I simply did not see it.
2. My details for the taxi had been distorted by another person
3. I had generalised that I am always so organised yet I missed the fact I had a knife in my bag!

I then had a choice to decide how the rest of my day went.

I could have chosen to feel bad-tempered and annoyed all day and decided that a day that started as badly as that was bound to continue that way. If I had done that, the chances are it would have continued to deteriorate as my brain would have focused on negatives.

Instead I chose to think of it all as a learning opportunity. I doubt I shall ever leave that knife in my bag again; when I fly I will always check on the departure board properly; I will double check that any lifts are sorted (I now have the details for the taxi company to contact myself directly).

• So what is your brain deleting, distorting or generalising?
• Are you going to choose to be positive or negative today?

 Elaine