I don't mean to sound like a commercial for QBQ, but If you've never heard of QBQ, please visit
www.QBQ.com. We had this training at my company and it gives you a wonderful perspective and new ways to look at things - a great attitude adjustment. You can also sign up to receive Mr. Miller's QuickNotes.
QBQ!© (The Question Behind the Question) QuickNote
QuickNotes may be forwarded by email or printed in their entirety for personal and group use. © QBQ, Inc. 2007.
The recent QuickNote about a negative airline travel experience touched a nerve. Many emails came in with more stories. As I read this one, I thought it was a typical tale about lousy service and the frustration that comes from traveling. But it is more—much more. It's a metaphor for how we view our world and respond to "stuff" beyond our control. It brings life to the phrase: Everything's relative. Enjoy!
John G. Miller
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John, at the end of a long week we boarded a Friday morning flight in Orlando to Dallas to catch a flight to Wichita, Kansas and home. Due to bad weather in Texas, our 2 p.m. flight departing from Dallas was canceled and we were now supposed to leave at 8 o'clock. We had six hours to kill. Well, 8 p.m. came and our flight was canceled. Rescheduled for 9:15 p.m., that flight never went either! Our last chance to leave Dallas was now after 10 p.m., but this flight got "delayed." The forecast for getting out of Dallas was poor at best, so around midnight we decided to get a hotel room, hoping to catch the first flight out Saturday. This was all very irritating to say the least. We had spent an entire day in the airport just to now spend the night in a DFW hotel. We also learned that some travelers had been stuck there for two nights due to bad weather.
I really wanted to ask what you call IQs (Incorrect Questions) in the QBQ! book such as, "Why is this happening to me?" "When will the airlines get their act together?" and "Why do I have to spend part of my weekend in an airport hotel?!" But, I must say, I didn't. I bit my tongue, controlled my negative thoughts, and asked The Question Behind the Question (QBQ), "What can I do to make the best of a bad situation?"
Saturday morning we arrived for our flight to Wichita. After going through security we headed for our gate. As we walked down the concourse we heard loud applause, combined with wild enthusiastic cheering. For a brief moment I thought, Yep, that is definitely how I will respond when my flight takes off!
But when we turned the corner, I saw the reason for the ruckus. It was then I realized that everything happens for a reason—and I don't really have any problems. There was a steady stream of U. S. soldiers in uniform coming off an arriving flight, probably 150 or more. We were told they had just returned to the States from Iraq. Instantly I knew my inconvenience paled in comparison to what these men and woman had gone through—and risked.
I have never been more proud to be an American than I was at that moment when hundreds of travelers—many who had spent two days and nights "stranded"—stopped everything they were doing to honor our brave soldiers for what they do for us everyday. The lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes told me what I was seeing: People who have had much more to worry about than I. (And to think I wanted to play victim.) Regardless of what we think of the conflicts going on in the world and the politics behind them, it would be an awesome sight for almost anyone to see the smiles of those soldiers and their waves of appreciation to applauding strangers as they passed by on their way to their families.
The lesson for me is this: No matter what happens, there is always someone who sacrifices more than I do. Spending a couple of days in an airport may not be the most pleasant thing to do, but having the honor of greeting our heroes after returning home from war is hardly describable with mere words. I am so fortunate I was there that Saturday.
Rick. P.
Hays, Kansas
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Rick, thanks for helping me put my day in perspective. Enough said.
John G. Miller, Author of QBQ! and Flipping the Switch
Edited by: Kristin Lindeen
