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OK - Now What?

I arrived at the Hamburg Airport a good 90 minutes before my flight back to London. (What can I say? I'm a hamburger at heart.) I made my way through the ultra-efficient revolving door, and I stepped into the expanse of the terminal. I looked around in wide-eyed wonder, taking it all in. I thought to myself, "OK - now what?"

Hmmm. Well, I might as well check in. Jeez, there's not a lot of English going on in this place. There's the ausgang and a reisebüro, but I don't think I want either of those. Toiletten? Maybe later. I have no idea where I'm supposed to be. OK - now what?

Hmmm. Hey, there's the Departures board. Cool, each flight has its check-in zone listed. Darn. It's too early for my flight to be on the list. OK - now what?

Hmmm. There must be more flights listed around here somewhere. Aha! There a huge board right in the middle of the terminal. (Man, I love German engineering.) Oh look - my flight's delayed. No real surprise there. Well, it says that I should check-in at Zone #4. Just over there - great. And look, they've got those fancy self-service kiosks. Even better. (I am antisocial, after all.) The screen is asking for my record locator. Yeah, but that's buried in my bag. (I am lazy, after all.) OK - now what?

Hmmm. Maybe if I just jam my credit card in there, the system will find me. Well, no such luck. It says I have to check in with an agent. (So much for being antisocial.)

Agent: "Oh, I see the problem. You're not on the flight."
Me: "I'm not on the flight? How is that possible?"
Agent: "Well, today is Wednesday, but it's not next Wednesday. You booked for the wrong date, dumbass."
Dumbass: "OK - now what?"

Hmmm. The agent's offering me the first flight out tomorrow morning. Yeah, that's not going to cut it. To the Internet! I popped open my trusty laptop, and I cracked my knuckles. Time to make this baby dance. Holy crap! The website's in German! OK - now what?

Hmmm. Well, I got a B-minus in German in high school. How hard can it be? I tumbled my way from screen to screen. I entered my nachname, my postleitzahl, and my kreditkarte nummer. Viel glück! I was in. I hit Orbitz and found out that Lufthansa had an available flight. Only problem is that I had to be quick - the flight was set to take off in 60 minutes. Worse yet, Lufthansa was in Terminal Zwei not Terminal Eins. OK - now what?

Hmmm. I'd say it's time to get off your butt. I zipped out to the sidewalk and cursed the ultra-efficient revolving door to Terminal. I shot to the Lufthansa counter and launched my passport and kreditkarte at the unsuspecting frau behind the counter. She was a total pro, and she calmly processed my order. She asked if I wanted Economy or Business Class. I asked her to check both rates, even though Economy was going to be the choice. (I am a cheapskate, after all.) The difference in fares turned out to be just $20. OK - now what?

Hmmm. I looked over my shoulder as the Economy line ran around the counter and the Business Class line was wide open. Sold. I grabbed my Business Class ticket and I ran to the check-in counter.

I won't belabor the point here. I'm happy to say that I made my flight and arrived in London on time and in good spirits. (I know you were rooting for me in the end.) Throughout the stressful ordeal, I'm proud to say that I kept moving. I made decisions. I took action after action in pursuit of my goal.

In essence, I did what I could with what I had and what I was given along the way.

And now? I've just shared my experience and the beneficial outcome that came from my flexibility, determination, and ability to adapt.

You may read this story, and you may see some similarities in your own life. You may realize that there's something you want out of life that's not going to be straightforward to get. You may want to make some vision a reality and have a better life in some incredible way.

To that, I say "Great!"

OK - now what?

Coaching Quickie: OK - Now What?

Check back next week for results!

Last Week's Results

Coaching Quickie: Back to the Front
How easy are you finding it to achieve the important goals in your life?

(11%) 100% Outside - I'm all about the Joneses and what they might think of me.
(33%) 50/50 - I've got a nice balance between me and thee.
(00%) 100% Inside - I'm focused on what makes me tick and not the opinion of those around me.
(56%) It varies - Depending on the situation, I'm comfortable shifting my focus.