Safely On The Ground – Des Moines, Iowa

When we face adversity and have to make choices that will impact the way we deal with the challenge we have two choices.  The first choice is to focus on the who or the what that was responsible for the situation.  The second choice is to understand and accept that we are solely responsible on how we respond to it.

I had just completed four days of Leadership Training with the John Maxwell Team in Florida and was on the second of my three flights, from Atlanta to Minneapolis, on my way back to Portland.  It had been a fairly smooth flight up until that point in which I both heard a noise and felt a vibration that I would consider

“not the type of thing you want to experience on a 757 aircraft at 33,000 feet.”

The right engine had seized up and the noise and vibration were followed by a cloud of black smoke.  Shortly thereafter, the plane pitched to the right and then did the proverbial up and down that is typically experienced during a major storm – the problem – no storm.

I looked around at the other passengers, some clearly upset by the events that had just taken place.  The flight attendants were all moving back and forth through the aisle, only in this case, they were moving much quicker than you would typically expect. A few minutes later the Captain’s voice was heard over the pa system and said:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have lost one of our engines and we will be diverting to the nearest airport that can take us, Des Moines, Iowa.  Nothing to worry about, these planes are designed to land on one engine and we practice this all the time.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I struggled with the idea that there was nothing to worry about.  One of the sessions at my training was on awareness.  Trust me, my level awareness was on high.  As we approached the runway, I noticed that we were flying low for what seemed to be a longer than typical amount of time and all one could see out of the window was green fields.  Then slight pitch right, then left, right, left, impact and a bounce and then hard braking (I think my blood pressure is up just reliving this in words) until we came to a stop.  Just like in the movies, the passengers broke into clapping and cheering as the fire trucks pulled up along side of the aircraft.

Emergency Crews Inspecting The Plane

After the crews looked over the plane, we proceeded to the terminal and exited the plane.  This is where I saw it.  How the differing levels of awareness make a difference in how we respond to adversity.  I was aware that I would probably miss my connecting flight to Portland (which I did) and that there was really nothing I could do other than make choices about my own attitude that would determine how I experienced the hours ahead.

I watched several people line up at the gate counter, clearly upset and in search of immediate answers to their questions.  Added stress, added frustration and honestly, I was embarrassed by the way some of them were acting.  For me, I chose to sit with a small group of complete strangers, sharing our thoughts and feeling thankful that we walked off the plane.

This experience clearly demonstrated to me how our level of awareness will determine how we respond to adversity.  The next time you are faced with adversity, be aware that although you can’t always control the situation, you can control your attitude and the way you respond to the situation.

Every difficult situation has countless outcomes.  Which one will you choose?

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Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com   8/24/12             image by author