My father flew B-17’s in WW II, and I’m starting to believe that flying is in my blood. Although I’ve only piloted a plane one time, I have traveled for business all my life. Many people complain about travel, and I have many of the same bad road warrior experiences as well. But I truly love to fly, especially when there is a view. Looking out the window, with that panoramic view gives me a broad perspective. It allows me to reflect differently on the day in and day out issues that I’m dealing with.
Flying over Chicago recently, just out of the city limits, I saw a huge quarry of some kind right in the middle of an urban neighborhood. It was an older neighborhood and I imagined that you could live there for 50 years, you might walk or drive by it every day and not even know that it exists, never mind seeing the inside of that quarry. But from the air…all is revealed. I feel that sometimes flying gives me that clarity of perspective of ideas or issues I might be mulling over.
If there isn’t a window view, the fact that there is limited external noise affords me the opportunity to truly focus on the task at hand, and if there is no task at hand, to think and reflect. Even though there are people all around I can disconnect from everything, except of course my seatmate if they are the gregarious type. Also, going to different locations allows me to consider seeing things in a different way. Even in today’s homogenized economy where there’s a Starbucks on every corner, there still are style nuances in different locations.
I believe a big picture view, taking time to pause and reflect, and gaining a different perspective from your own world view are all valuable pieces of effective performance. Although there are many ways to get a bigger perspective, to disconnect, to see things differently, and to pause and reflect, I’m fortunate that I can accomplish those things through something I have to do, travel and flying.
It makes all inconveniences and other stuff that you have to deal with worth it to me.