Soaring across the country in a closed metal tube, 40,000 feet above land and miles from anyone you know. The cabin is dim and it hums; you look down at your folded hands in your lap, lit by a pool of light from above. There’s nothing to do: no email to check, no messages to send out, and minimal distraction. In 2011, the airline Virgin Atlantic ran survey, asking customers to describe their on-flight emotional experiences. Overall, 55 percent of travelers said they had “experienced heightened emotions while flying.” Intense thinking and mental productivity can also be an outcome of being in a flight environment. Being free from usual distractions provides an enhanced ability for information and emotional processing. It’s like your body shifts gears into a focused nearly hypnotic state. On the plane in the somewhat confined space forces one to have to deal with their internal reality.
This focused open space is a perfect time to plan your next move. If you are currently in a coaching relationship this is a perfect time to assess your vision, goals and necessary action steps to move forward. This is total you time! What a great time to focus on your coaching plan for the future. Having a narrowed stimulus field is just what one needs to get a “zen” like awareness and attention to the tasks we set forth for the future to come. Clients have enjoyed spending time dedicated to their coaching plan while in flight and on the return flight. It provided the needed face time with the coach to set the course for the next steps ahead.
