In 2001, the TV show 24 debuted. Each episode represented one hour in the life of fictional character Jack Bauer, a federal agent, doing his part to save the world.
My 24 is not quite the same. I wasn’t on TV, nor did I do anything to save the world. However, it was a memorable 24 hours to say the least.
On July 28th, I left for the airport at 3:45 am to catch that early morning flight to Atlanta. All goes well, and I am there early for my 10:00 est flight to Newark, NJ.
At 10AM, we take off, and I start talking with passengers around me. However, things turn for the worse 90 minutes into the flight. The pilot indicates that there is bad weather in Newark and that we need to circle around Baltimore until the airport reopens.
We circled for several hours. Running low on fuel, we landed in Baltimore. The mood on the plane started to be more tension filled as time passed. We sat on the plane for two hours before de-boarding to await further instructions at the gate.
As tensions continued to escalate, finally, at midnight, the flight was cancelled. The flight was scheduled to depart at (you guessed it) 10:00 the following morning.
During that 24-hour period from takeoff to eventually seeing that plane leave again (I got a return flight home since I missed my event), I saw the best and worst displays of character.
The couple next to me had tickets to a Broadway show and a reservation at an expensive hotel. The husband was irate at not being able to get there and was visibly upset. The profanity-laced comments directed at her were unbelievable.
A father, in a rush to move his party of three to an alternate plan, was enraged at his young daughter having had an accident (needed her mother to take her to the restroom) that slowed them down. I’ll never forget the look on her face as her dad vehemently expressed his disappointment.
There was the guy from Isreal that was just trying to get back to Tel Aviv. He was calm and just waiting to process the instructions. He told me that when you live where he does, you get used to interruptions such as incoming missile alerts.
There was an Indian man that approached me to help him understand flight options that night. As we talked, I learned that he was a pastor of 40 house churches in India. He showed me pictures of what persecution looks like. He was in the States for leadership training. I gave him a copy of my book, and I have never seen anyone receive something so graciously.
An Australian couple offered me an opportunity to share an uber ride the next morning. Their plans to visit New York were delayed, but they were thankful to be safe.
All these people (and more) experienced the same events that night. No one made it to Newark on that flight as planned. However, the reactions were all over the board. Some were yelling at the pilot, gate agents, and anyone that would listen. Others were praising the pilot for getting us on the ground safely in some bad weather.
Perspective matters. What seems so important in the moment may not deserve the level of value that we place on it.
One simple question: If I had 24 hours, and not a second more, how should I respond?
- Focus on people not possessions
- Focus on what we have – not what we don’t have
- Seek to find more joy in the moment
- Notice what’s in front of us
What will you do with your next 24? It’s a matter of perspective!
Flight 2401 – what an appropriate flight number!
Doug equips leaders to make organizations better. He has two leadership books available on all online platforms. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build an authentic team, contact Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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