Business lessons I learn from a cramped plane seat.

Some people hate flying. I'll admit, in my younger years, I was scared to death, tightly holding on to the arm rest, and having a racing heart at the slightest bump.

Times have changed however. I have found the solitude at 30,000 feet is golden. My cell phone is off, people are quiet and the constant hummmmm of the engines become peaceful. Today, I took off from McCarran Airport in Nevada and just as we reached our cruising altitude, the captain said, "look out the window to the right and you'll see Mt. Zion National park as well as the Grand Canyon,  the Colorado River and Monument Valley." All of these are huge land masses, but at 30,000 you can see it great. I can't help but think it's the view God in heaven must see as he looks down from his kingdom.

Today alone, we flew over Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Eight very distinctive and diverse eco-systems.

Back to the flight; I learn a lot about business by getting out of my world and visiting other areas; in fact,  I learn a lot by flying. Here's a few nuggets I take from my travels and flying.

1.  I think metaphorically, it pays to look at life, relationships, and business from above. So often when we are "on the ground" we are only able to look at situations, relationships and problems in a one dimensionless capacity. As I know you'll agree, life is not one dimensional. Try to view these areas of your life looking from 30,000....you'll see all aspects of them more clearly.
2. It really pays to have some quiet time. Now, I understand my introvert friends reading this are saying "ya think". But for us extroverts who complicate our lives by also being talk out loud- multi-taskers, consider having some quiet time. This is also a great time to reflect and exercise your spiritual life; prayer. When you look out your plane window, surely you are in awe!
3.  Be nice. It is so interesting to watch people with an entitled mentality get service from a flight attendant. I would say that serving a diverse group of people who are tired, hungry, cramped and sometimes scared is a very tough job. Nice just wins. That Golden Rule thing pays incredible dividends whether you're asking for that extra cup of java or working with fellow employees, team members or clients.
4.  Slow down and enjoy the view. On today's flight, I saw some spectacular views; canyons,

   

   Monument Valley

   rivers, mountains, and more. Being on a plane forces you to slow your world down (even though you're going about 400 miles per hours). Looking at your life from a high altitude gives you the ability to reflect on lots of positives. Quietly celebrate the great achievements as you look down, but also, look at the problems you have. I find that when you're taking that roof-top view of things, solutions can sometimes be more easily determined. 

These are just a few of the things that I thought about today at 30,000. The captain just said we're 300 miles from Charlotte....so, I'm going to look down on my life, exercise some quiet time, be nice to my neighbors and fellow team members,  flight attendants, think about my achievements, ponder on solutions for problems I may have, and finally, give thanks to the Lord above for such a beautiful country that I have flown across today.

T. Kyle