A little more than a week ago, some colleagues and I were at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey, about 30 miles from New York City, to look at one of their hangars for an upcoming event (more on that in a minute.) While we were there, our gracious hosts (and partners for the event), Tony Curlo (CEO of DaVinciTek) and Mike Berman, asked us if we wanted to take a spin in their plane for a quick tour of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan.
With a big smiles on our faces, we gave them an emphatic “Yes!” A few minutes later we were taking off for a short 40 minute flight directly over Newark Airport (that was a bit strange) and around the Statue of Liberty. As we circled Manhattan, I was snapping pictures incessantly. It was amazing. Despite having seen aerial shots of Manhattan in movies, there’s nothing quite like seeing it with your own eyes. While I have been to New York numerous times, it is amazing how different it all looked from the air. There are elements of the way the city is arranged, the massiveness of Central Park and the vast differences in the heights of the buildings that you simply cannot appreciate from the ground. It was awe-inspiring. And it also made me realize that I needed to find a way to appreciate alternate perspectives in many other parts of my life.
THE PROBLEM WITH BEING STUCK ON THE GROUND
One of my favorite cartoons shows a medieval army marching through a forest. A scout has climbed to the top of a tall tree and the king asks him, “Are we going in the right direction?” The scout replies, “I have no idea, but we’re making great time!” I like this cartoon because it reminds me that it is easy to get stuck in the woods and, as they say, “to lose the forest for the trees.” We are commonly so focused on the little things that are facing us in the moment, that we lose sight of the big things that are most important.
My little air tour of Manhattan gave me that same reminder. It was amazing to me how much this change in perspective helped me see the city from a different angle. And how much it made me want to get back on the ground to see how this new perspective would change how I might go about a walk through the streets. There are so many parts of my life that I think could benefit from the same type of shift in perspective.. Where a little change in angle could have a deep impact on how I see things, the decisions I make and the actions I take.
How about you? Would a little change in perspective do you some good?
We live in a busy world that keeps getting busier every day. We are in a constant battle for time to think and to produce. The “daily grind” threatens to turn our minds into meaningless pulp. But a change in perspective can rescue us all from this fate. By taking the time to figuratively and literally pull ourselves out of our day-to-day existence and to force ourselves to see things from a different point of view, I believe that we emerge recharged and reinvigorated.
So go ahead and dare to step away – even if only for a few moments. Dare to let the crisis of the moment be relegated to static (it will still be there, I promise) and take yourself somewhere unexpected. I believe that you will find the results to be uplifting!
SO WHY WAS I AT MORRISTOWN AIRPORT?
I promised that I would explain what I was doing in Morristown in the first place. We were there to look at a hangar for an event that we will be holding on August 22nd that we have codenamed “IT Transformation Boot Camp Premiere East”. This is a very special and unique event for us. As our premiere/launch event, it will be a fundraiser for the New Jersey SIM Foundation and a local autism organization. But we will also be using this event to introduce a new line of “experiential events” designed to create mindset shift and “change the world of IT”! We are very excited! Frankly, there is really nothing like this in the industry right now and we believe that it will have a major impact on IT professionals and IT organizations alike. And, in many ways, it’s all about creating a change in perspective.
Our Boot Camps are not going to be your everyday conference, workshop or training class. Open only to teams (because IT is a team sport!), it will be a bit like mixing together elements from The Amazing Race and The Shark Tank to help IT professionals and leaders see our profession from a whole new angle. And it’s going to be a ton of fun with a bunch of little surprises along the way. Our first announcements have begun to go out and we will begin accepting applications to participate in our first two Boot Camps (in which all proceeds will go to local non-profits) shortly. Stay tuned for more information and let’s get ready to “change the world of IT together”!
About the Author:
Tag/s:Personal Development
