Big insights in China Town

I was at dinner recently with a good friend and his dad – a senior pilot for British Airways. We headed to an authentic 80’s style Chinese restaurant in China Town.

I talked about my fear of flying over spring rolls, duck pancakes and few too many glasses of wine.

He talked me through my flying history, current anxieties and set actions for me to do before the next flight. At the time I didn’t even realise it, but I was being coached!

Of most value was the suggestion of a flight plan. Something I can follow for two weeks leading up to and during a flight which will induce relaxation and help focus on the excitement of travel as opposed to the stress of flying.

Now, I am the planning queen – a self-confessed ToDo-aholic. I have a plan or a list written for everything – yet having the Captain of a 747 suggest I put together a plan was ground breaking for me.

So why had it not occurred to me that I should put together a flight plan?

One of my philosophies for coaching is that the client is the expert in their own life – deep down they know all the answers – as a coach my job is to help them through the process. I guess I experienced that first hand.