The Great Exchange

A Life Lesson at 30,000 Feet

My first cross country flight was at two weeks old — I was adopted at birth. So when I heard a baby girl crying right after takeoff on my flight today, I felt empathy for the pain and pressure she may have been experiencing in her ears.

If you’ve flown enough, you know the feeling. After decades of traveling for work, my left ear often hurts. I try all the techniques to equalize the pressure with every landing.

Life can feel like that sometimes.

You have this ‘vehicle’ that can move you forward quickly towards your dreams (a new title or degree for example).

And yet there can still be pain in the arriving.

And we tend to do what will minimize pain.

Why is that?

Maybe it’s simply the nature of life as a great exchange. Everything in life seems to move in a rhythm of give and take. Even the breath flowing in and out of our lungs.

The real wisdom reflection today may simply be this:

Find the balance in the exchange.

Don’t over-give so much that you burn out.

Don’t procrastinate so much, that you get nowhere.

Create harmony with the people in your life, whether at home or at work.

Let the disrupters and judges and critics go.

So this week I’ll turn the question to you regarding this great exchange.

Where do you need to give a little more?

Where might you need to pull back?

What exchange can you reframe with gratitude?

Leave a comment and tell me what balance looks like for you right now.

Until next week, Corelifers, enjoy the sunset photo I took when I landed in Miami tonight.

Much love,

Anne ✈️