Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do! —Stevie Nicks
International travel is always an adventure. Language barriers. Unfamiliar routines. Cultural gaps. It is not for the faint of heart. But the payoff can be incredible if you can successfully navigate the challenges. And one of those challenges involves showing up extra early at the airport.
After an epic trip to visit our daughter in Barcelona, my wife and I stopped over in Lisbon to experience another country and regroup. Our final flight back to the States was early the following morning so we soaked in the sights, and lived it up for twenty-four hours. Glorious! But morning arrived all too quickly and one of us was moving very slowly the next day (I won’t get into who (that’s not my bag!) BUT there were only two of us…and it wasn’t me!) After some gentle encouragement, we finally got our act together and arrived at the airport an hour before our flight. Plenty of time! Or so we thought…
We grossly misjudged the process. After finally clearing Passport Control, we trekked toward our gate only to discover it was nearly a mile walk (run!) through the airport. Alas, we arrived at our gate, and to our horror, the doors had closed for good. No soup for us! Once we got over the shock, we quickly pivoted to try and find another flight. After a few aborted attempts to speak Portuguese, we finally found a very sympathetic gate agent who could speak flawless English.
“Not to worry, my friends. You need to go see the TAP Portugal Help Center. They will take care of you.”
Great! But how would we find it?
“You cannot possibly miss it, my friends. Wind back down this hallway and take a right. It’s right under the HUGE McDonalds sign.”
Perfect! Let’s roll!
We quickly shuffled down the hallway, desperately searching for the McDonalds sign. We turned the corner and immediately spotted what appeared to be the Help Desk. But there was one problem. It was directly under a Burger King sign, not a McDonalds sign. I was singularly focused on the explicit directions.
“This can’t be the place. Let’s keep looking for the McDonalds.”
We raced down another long hallway, growing more desperate and discouraged with every step. Nothing. Thirty minutes later, we were at the end of our rope. We ultimately ended up right by the Burger King. Finally, it occurred to us that the gate agent may have made a mistake and confused his fast-food restaurants. Of course! We walked into the kiosk and they were able to help us right away!
It seems so obvious in hindsight. All logic pointed to the kiosk (and there was even a clear sign above the entrance). But we were so blinded by the specific advice, we ignored our gut instincts and common sense. And we should all beware of following that same path in our everyday lives.
Trust Your Gut
Seeking advice and direction is one of the healthiest things we can do in life. Many times, we have blind spots, and others with more experience and knowledge can help guide us successfully back on track. A mentor can help us build our book of business. A manager can offer concrete advice based on experience. A colleague can offer a revealing new point of view. A trusted friend can offer perspective on a damaged relationship. A parent can offer counsel based on their worldliness and maturity. These words of wisdom can change our lives and exponentially increase our resiliency.
But we also have to trust our own instincts. What works for one person, may not work for us. Perhaps we are better drumming up business over e-mail rather than the phone. Perhaps our quirks are actually benefits rather than drawbacks. Perhaps someone else’s point of view does not apply to our mission. Perhaps someone else’s advice is biased to their own experience. It is important to share and trust. But we can’t take everyone’s advice as the gospel truth. Our own perspective and opinions matter. We can never abandon our gut instinct.
Be the Captain
Most of the time, the advice and direction we receive is spot on. And incredibly helpful. We should never stop seeking it. But at the end of the day, logic has to be our guide. We will receive a lot of well-meaning opinions and suggestions. But only we can hear our inner dialogue. Only we can understand our inner feelings. Only we can decide to move forward or stay in place. We can’t blindly follow everyone’s advice. That will leave us aimlessly pinballing from one solution to the next. We have to pick up our eyes and gaze toward the horizon. What do we want our future to hold? What makes us happiest? Only we know the answers!
There will be a lot of trial and error. There will be failures and setbacks. We will ignore good advice and follow bad advice. But ultimately, we will learn and grow. And ultimately, we will learn to trust ourselves. Navigating life is a team sport. But we have to be the captain of our own ship!