One Million Miles — What

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_column_text]A little while ago, I received a plaque in the mail commemorating the fact that I have flown one million miles on United Airlines.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Okay, let’s repeat that number. One million miles. ONE MILLION. 1,000,000. That is a lot of miles. And it’s not even including the hundreds of thousands of miles I’ve flown on different airlines.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I started thinking when I saw that number. Was flying one million miles worth it? Does it continue to be worth it, as I continue to work and travel? And I came up with three big things that flying one million miles has taught me.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Here are the three things:

1. You can control your attitude
2. Fatigue is the Enemy of Happiness
3. No job is perfect

Okay, let me explain.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]You can control your attitude:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Since a lot of travel involves waiting, I’ve done my fair share observing those around me in the airports and planes. And here’s what I’ve noticed: these places are thick with miserable people. I think that in most cases, these people have made themselves miserable, because they are constantly complaining.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Traveling has been one of the best ways of reminding myself that I can control my own attitude because travel is thick with those who are lousy at controlling their attitudes. These people complain loudly and for a long time about planes being delayed, flights being canceled, and a host of other issues. I agree that these issues are no fun at all to deal with. I admit that I would rather avoid these issues than have to deal with them myself. However, by complaining, nothing changes in the flight schedule. The only thing that changes is the people who are complaining make themselves miserable.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I don’t want to be like these people. Being exposed to these people repeatedly has been a good lesson for me by showing me that we can control our own attitude.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fatigue makes it hard to be happy:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It took me a while to realize this, but now that I have seen countless examples in myself, I realize that I should have learned this a long time ago. And now that I know that fatigue makes it hard to be happy, I embrace the fatigue instead of fighting it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What do I mean by that? I mean that I try to avoid the parts of travel that make a person excessively tired. For example, instead of taking the last flight and getting to my hotel at midnight, I take an earlier flight, eat dinner, exercise a little bit, and go to bed thinking that my day wasn’t so bad and that I’m glad to be there.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I think that part is key to any part of life: Make yourself glad to be there or to be doing what you’re doing. But you can’t be happy if you’re tired.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]No job is perfect:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This idea brings to mind the old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I absolutely love my job. But one thing that I don’t love so much is the traveling part of my job. Of course, I could switch to a job where I travel less, but I know that I will find something about a new job that I don’t like. Thinking like that gives me a reality check: Life isn’t perfect. My job isn’t perfect. No matter what you do, something about that job or chore or whatever it is that you’re doing, something about it won’t be perfect.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There is always a cost or a penalty to whatever you do. In my job, it happens to be the travel. In spite of this, I love love love my job. In my perfect world I would travel less, but life isn’t perfect, and it all works out in the end, because I still have a phenomenal job. In the end, it all works out.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/pxMvj8jUfV0″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Call change speaker Brad Montgomery

When he’s not traveling, Brad Montgomery enjoys standing in front of audiences and doing his best to engage the people part of business. Interested in Brad’s work? Call now for a free consultation! You won’t be sorry!

303-691-0726

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