Unexpected Gratitude: Create your own luck

Imagine you have been planning a holiday to Bali for 6 months. It’s the first proper holiday you’ve taken in 2 years.  You seriously need it!  Ok, this is exactly how I was feeling as I made my way to Sydney airport.  I was buzzing with excitement.  I did all the right things in the lead up to ensure my holiday was going to be amazing and now we were finally on our way.

Or were we?

I received a panicked call from my travel companion when I was just 10 mins away.  Her passport was due to expire in 5 months and Bali has strict regulations prohibiting travel for anyone with less than 6 months on their passport.  The airline would not, or could not, allow her to travel.

Step into my shoes and think for a moment what you would do.  Would you:

1. Cry and/or get angry with your travel companion – you needed this holiday so much!!!
2. Bugger them and go to Bali alone; or 
3. Laugh and figure it out together

Now imagine that your travel companion is your best mate and it’s their birthday… and, they already feel terrible enough without you adding salt to the wound.   Yes, you can go back and change your answer.

I opted for option C. At the end of the day, Bali would have been great, but what I was most excited about was a week away with one of my best friends.  So we met in the airport and laughed together in disbelief about the situation, and then got down to planning.  We were NOT going to waste this week together, Bali or no Bali.

The first job was to minimize the damage of the last minute change of plans.  What could we recoup? The Qantas staff were so blown away with Chelsea’s amazing attitude to the bad news, that they credited her back the value to of the flight to use at a later date.  This is pretty amazing when you consider the flight had started boarding already.  They kept saying – we can’t believe how well you’re handling this and Chelsea’s response was simply ‘I’m so grateful you guys are being so helpful’. 

We then ran over to the Jetstar counter to see what they could do for me.  Again, the flight was already open for check-in so there was no chance of changing the ticket over the phone, so I was completely at the mercy of the staff at the counter. We told them the story of our mishap; laughing at ourselves (and yes, we may have used her birthday for extra sympathy votes). Once again, the staff felt compelled to help us as much as possible. They changed my flight to a later date (so really I get two holidays out of this.. bonus!) and went to brainstorming possible locations we could go.  Both airlines bent over backwards to help us.

The next job was to plan an amazing last minute holiday. Somewhere that allowed travel with a passport with less than 6 months and with a warm climate, since we were packed for the warmth of Bali. Hmmm… did I mention it is school holidays?  Booking something on the spot was going to be a little more difficult.  Decision fatigue was taking it’s toll, so we decided to go to a hotel, have a yummy dinner and plan something leaving the next day.

We arrived at the hotel and while checking in, we told the staff our Bali blunder story. Laughing at ourselves and insisting that something amazing was going to come of this, once again, the staff rose the occasion and were right there with us. They brainstormed ideas and then one of the staff came to us with 2 glasses of French champagne to help the last minute planning process.  What a legend. I think she can read minds. We went to dinner next door and, once again, the staff were amazing. They spoilt us with sparkling water and free deserts, on top of just being really friendly people. 

The whole time, Chelsea and I kept reflecting on how lucky we were.  Everyone we spoke to wanted to help us as much as they could.  
 

It begs the question – were we lucky or did we create our own luck?

I think it’s a bit of both.  

Imagine how our experience would have been different if Chelsea got angry with staff about the stupid 6 month rule (it is a false expiry date after all). Or if I chose option A or B above. Instead of enjoying the thoughtful brainstorming, glasses of champagne and free desert, we would have been brooding and fixated on what we missed out on.  

The choices we make determine our reality, and your mindset and reactions to unfortunate situations can determine if your reality becomes a disaster or an adventure, with lots of laughter and possibility. You can’t always control the situation you are in but people are attracted to positive energy.  You get back what give out.

It makes me wonder how stressful work situations would differ if we approached it more like our Bali blunder. Instead of pointing blame and getting angry; rather look forward to create the best possible outcome and enroll people to help you get there.

Finally, I want to finish this blog with gratitude.  I’m grateful to all the amazing people who jumped in and helped us in our time of need. I’m grateful that I now get two holidays with an incredible person, instead of just one. And I’m grateful for the beautiful, and unexpected, location I find myself writing this blog from in Mission Beach.

How lucky am I!