I love to travel. Not only is it an adventure, but it's also an opportunity to grow at a soul level. Travel often takes us out of our comfort zone and into situations that are beyond our control.
I recently travelled to the Gold Coast for a short holiday, and my growth lesson was a reminder of just how easily fear can take hold at the beginning of an adventure.
I had convinced myself that forty minutes wasn't enough time to catch my connecting flight to the Gold Coast. I started worrying and even rang the airline to see if I could change my ticket to an earlier flight, but the cost would have been far too expensive.
I was assured there would be enough time to get from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. However, my mind was already on a rollercoaster of unhelpful thoughts!
I then decided to ask my husband to drive me the three hours to the airport. He agreed, but luckily I mentioned my new plan to my daughter. She explained that because both flights were connected, if I didn't turn up for my domestic flight, my international flight would be cancelled too!
I could just imagine arriving at the airport and being told that!
That was enough to bring me back to gratitude. I was grateful that my daughter had pointed this out before I made a very costly mistake. I consciously chose to shift my thinking, raise my vibration and trust that everything would work out.
I decided to stick with the original plan and believe that I would make my connection.
And I did! I arrived with just a couple of minutes to spare.
On the way home, I wasn't stressed at all because I had allowed myself more time between flights. However, this time there was a big storm and we weren't able to disembark the plane. We ended up being delayed, and once again I found myself having to walk (and almost run!) to catch my connecting flight.
But this time something was different. I fully believed I could make it.
And I did! I arrived just as they were boarding.
Perhaps the lesson wasn't really about catching flights at all. It was about recognising how easily we can allow fear and negative thinking to take over, and how quickly things can shift when we consciously choose a different perspective.
We can't always control what happens around us, but we can choose how we respond. Sometimes the greatest adventure is learning to trust ourselves, let go of fear and believe that things can work out.
After all, we are co-creators of our destiny.
