Confessions from 30,000 Feet
Sometimes, leaving your comfort zone makes you think about what really matters.
Airplane perspective
Nothing terrifies me more than being in a plane when it takes off. My palms are sweating, my legs are shaking and my eyes are tightly shut. At the point when the nose of the plane turns upwards, if I’m not actually crying then I’ll be close! An especially vivid memory of one wind-swept take off involves a well-meaning air steward unlocking my grip and gently prising my hand out of hers.
During this time of personal panic, just before the 30 tonnes of powered metal levels in the sky, I do something that most days I avoid or don’t get around to… I get a little perspective on my life. I take stock and think about the things that are important to me, the things in my life that matter the most.
What matters most to you?
Ok, let me confess something else. Despite everything I know about keeping tabs on my spending, I usually prefer not to choose the ‘check balance option’ when I go to the cash point. And even though I can check my banking online at any time, until recently I never did because I was too afraid I might have to make changes or I was feeling too stressed or too busy.
Sometimes it’s the same with the balance of my life. I have a niggling feeling that I should take a look to check I’m on track and investing in what matters most. But generally I can’t quite face it or don’t get around to it.
Priorities and goals
One thing for sure is that our 20s and 30s is a time of making big choices, of journeying further into adulthood and learning how to deal with the things that come with it.
There’s good stuff and great stuff, but there’s also money worries, job stress, depression, addiction, family trouble, looking for a life-long partner, low self confidence (ranging from the inconvenient to the crippling), sex worries, parenting anxieties, bereavement, job dissatisfaction and relationship breakdown. We are also realising that the dream we are chasing might not be the one we’ll catch and that if we were going to do things differently, we would do well to start now!
Get honest with yourself
There’s plenty of stuff in my life I’d rather not talk about, but I have moments, honest moments, when my friends and I open up and talk about the things we’d like to do or wish we could change. Sometimes it really helps to know I’m not alone. It’s good to hear other people’s stories, to add to their questions and to hear about people’s mistakes and successes.
When did you last get honest with yourself? In times of change and uncertainty, it’s crucial to take stock, before the neglected parts of our lives suddenly knock us off our feet. Maybe I’ll take some time out before my next nerve-shattering launch into the ether.
Written by Emma Coffey.
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