You see shirts, Facebook posts and Pinterest updates with the various versions of the "Keep Calm" theme.  I'm sitting on a plane on my way to Disney World with my family.  For some reason, I end up doing a lot of writing while flying?  Must be the change of scenery or altitude?  

Anyway.

I saw a "Keep Calm" shirt before I boarded the plane this morning and it inspired me to write.  I always wondered what I would do if the plane caught fire, a wing fell off, ran out of gas or we had to prepare for a water landing (God forbid, but we have all played out the scenario in our heads). They always ask, when I am placed by an exit, if I am capable of handling the duties that come along with row 9.  I always agree to it- thinking if the crew needed me, I'd be as heroic as Harrison Ford!  Sure, why not.  How often does it come up where a passenger has to actually do more than stay buckled in his seat and lean away from the guy next to you.  Today I am sitting in row 24, so I will not be asked to save the world (yet, too close to the bathroom for my taste).

When situations present themselves, I do a pretty good job of seeing all angles and keeping calm.  It took time and a bunch of experiences to get to this point.  Often, there are moments in my job or life that call for me to react in a specific way and I feel confident that I correctly rise to the occasion.  The world could be crumbling around me and the sky is falling, but I work hard to maintain balance and to never let people see me sweat.  

Why?  Because I have seen enough people get rattled...frankly, you look dumb.  I have worked with people in the past that scream, get pissed and look terrible in the process.  I'm not vain or without feeling. I just don't want to look stupid and I certainly don't want to give anyone the satisfaction that they got the best of me.  You also don't need people around you showing "pity" for what just happened to you.  You are better than that.  

Yes, sometimes you get caught off guard and blindsided by a left hook to the head.  You can't see everything coming.  It's how you react and how you recover that counts.  Boxers fake not being hurt in order to make their opponent believe that they can take the other guys best stuff.  Even after getting knocked down, boxers rise to the challenge, pick themselves up and often win the fight.  

It's not about pride.  Pride sometimes is a bitch... it's not about pride.  It's about confidence and always attempting to do the right thing.  Your next move is important, but not as important as your first move.  The first move is picking yourself up off the canvas with style and lungs full of air.  The next move, in boxing and in life, is to get your guard up and start moving your feet.  

Keep Calm and punch back. (Just make sure you're smiling...it pisses the other guy off).

#flying #harrisonford #boxing #keepcalm