Flow State
Airports, Strangers, & Flow State
9 years ago I met a stranger on a plane. We were caddy corner across the aisle from each other – not even in the same row. One of us needed to help the other with something, spurring a genuine interaction. It was a very long flight, he was from Bombay. I was on the way to from Hawaii to Australia, and I was still in the military at the time.
It was a very brief conversation with a big impact. I told him where I was coming from, and why, and where I was going to. In the big picture, this trip itself was like a “life moment” for me, and he connected with what I was pursuing. In the few minutes we spoke, he recommended a book to me. A book about synchronicity, about empowered surrender: the book is called The Power of Flow, and I recommend it to everyone.
Sometimes when I’m in airports I remember that conversation because I think about the book. Airports themselves have always fascinated me because of the obviousness of the opportunity for “anything to happen”. You can collide with virtually anyone in an airport...
Earlier this month was no different.
When heading to speak at the Annual Symposium of the International Board of Hypnotherapy in NM, I met George Fant ( @george_fant44 on Instagram), and in the 10 minutes between paying our tabs and boarding the same plane, we geeked out over the #powerofimagery . The techniques that Michael Gervis ( @michaelgervais ) uses with the Seahawks are like those I use with my own clients.
20 mins before this encounter I ran into a client in airport security who I have only met once – virtually across 1000 miles! We exchanged a joy-filled hug and updates before heading to separate terminals for our respective travel..
In a way, my encounter with the man from Bombay, 9 years ago, 32,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean has been self-fulfilling: I made a surprising, #meaningful encounter, with someone who had something to teach me about the value of receptivity, which I credit for propagating happy & high-value coincidences through my life ever since.