36,000 Feet/6.8 miles/10.97 km above sea level, somewhere over St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada
Saturday 23 April, 2011 (St George’s Day) 4.50pm BST
I guess it does not come as a surprise that I’m travelling again. I’ve been on this British Airways flight from Heathrow for over five hours so far with another four and a bit hours to go. It has been a very comfortable flight, and I’m sitting here in my pyjamas, legs inside a duvet and my back against a pillow, in my made up bed.
The first two and a bit hours were spent watching a hilarious movie – ‘Little Fokkers’ whilst eating the on board meal. Once finished, the bed was made and I thought I would sleep for a couple of hours, however I did not feel like it. So stayed awake and chatted…
I have to say the service has been impeccable. The guy looking after our cabin – Peer (Danish name, actually spelt Per, but pronounced Peer) – was the one who was victim to a couple of hours of my ear chewing. What an interesting person, and I learnt so much from him.
I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that things happen for a reason… in fact I go one step further with that belief in that I believe that things happen for a reason, and whatever may be happening may be painful at the time, but in the long term that reason is always a good one for our life. However, I digress, so back to the point.
I have met so many people in my travels and in my life, and each one of them has influenced me in some way… generally in a positive way. Even when that person has caused me and my career great suffering (some of you will remember an incident I had to bear back in 2009), the amount I learnt from going through that, the amount I grew as a person, the amount I learnt about myself and what I wanted to do with my life, far outweighs the pain caused. Of course there have been difficulties and there are ongoing difficulties due to that incident, but I believe I am better off having gone through those things.
So, I don’t believe in coincidences. Everything happens for a reason, and each person I have met has had an influence in my life journey. For the better.
Talking with Peer certainly brought this thought to the fore. We had a general chat about everything under the sun and it was extremely interesting to hear his viewpoint, to agree, disagree and even reshape my own viewpoint.
What an interesting chap. His life experiences, the people he has met (Politicians, Prime Ministers, glitterati, Hindi film stars, Uri Geller, His Holiness The Dalai Llama), the things he has learnt, the languages he knows, the things he does in his life now. A man with a fantastic aura about him, making one jolly and at ease.
Walking into the plane, I was guided to the cabin. Walked past Peer who was making the necessary flight announcements and even though he was busy with that, he took time out to quickly greet and welcome us on board. It was just a second of his time while he cupped the microphone part of the phone-like device used to make announcements to greet us with that big smile… only a second… however that one second made a major difference.
To me it showed him to be a warm person, and someone who takes pride in his role… someone who cares about the comfort and wellbeing of his passengers. That one second was only a short amount of time in reality but is something that will remain with me for a long time.
Robin Sharma talks about being a leader in whatever you do. You do not have to be a CEO of a company to be a leader. You can have any role in an organisation, or just be a parent, or a friend, or family member – whatever it is you do, you can be a leader through your actions. Peer is certainly a natural leader… a simple action by him at the beginning of the flight, the ongoing attention to on-flight needs, and allowing me to chew his ear for a couple of hours…
Truly inspiring and definitely a Leader.
And with that thought, I leave you… with love until next time…
-DB
