At O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, at Terminal 1, there is an underground corridor that passengers use to get from one concourse to another. This corridor is quite long, so to assist passengers in making there way expeditiously from one side to another there are moving walkways that can be used.
Upon stepping on the moving walkway there is an automated voice that calmly says, “Keep walking.”
I have used these walkways in my travels, for years and I’ve often wondered why someone felt there was a need to instruct the passengers of the walkway to keep walking.
Wouldn’t most passengers know that it would be best to keep walking, especially when they have plenty of other hurried passengers behind them?
What is it about our human nature, that the civil engineers of this moving walkway were trying to avoid?
I received my answer to these questions from Laurence Gonzales, author of “Deep Survival”. In this book he wrote, “Freezing is the classic emotional response of all mammals.”
Given Gonzales’ observations, if a first timer is approaching the moving walkway, when he/she feels the floor literally shifting forward underneath their feet their primary emotional response will be to freeze and/or stand still.
Therefore, there is a need for automated audio instructions. “Keep walking.”
Recently while at O’Hare, I took it upon myself to observe the passengers using this moving walkway and my observations lined up perfectly with Gonzales’ theory. I was astonished at how passengers who had seemingly had never used the moving walkway reacted to the movement once on board, even though visually they could anticipate and already see that the walkway was moving. Many of them, completely stopped and held on to the rails moving to the side to let passengers familiar with this movement walk by and move ahead of them.
So my question to you is this; What is your moving walkway?
What change is taking place in your life that has figuratively moved the ground underneath your feet?
Does this change have you standing still or maybe even crouching in fear of the uncertainty?
Keep walking.
Change and uncertainty is no excuse for us to go into a holding pattern.
Control the controllables and don’t presume helplessness.
Keep walking.
Life is uncertainty.
Change is constant.
The question is not why does change happen to us…but rather how will we react when it does.
When change happens…it’s time to place a renewed focus on your goals and dreams. It may be harder to keep walking, but force yourself to take just one footstep.
You can eventually get anywhere you want to go, one footstep at a time.
Keep walking!
About the Author:
Linal Harris
Global Entrepreneur – Certified Life Coach – Media Personality – Speaker
Linal Harris is a global entrepreneur, certified life coach, author, and media personality. As the founder of Inspirational Perspective® Publishing, LLC and Insights 4 Life™ Coaching, LLC, Harris challenges his global audience and coaching clients to Murder Mediocrity® and live their best life possible. Harris concentrates his work as an ontological coach with clients on what he calls the 4 pillars of life; the relationship we have to ourselves, the relationships we have with others, our relationship to work and money, and the connection we have to our spirit and life’s purpose. Harris coaches CEO’s, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes and celebrities. Harris is the author of “Slay Your Goals”, where he provides his readers with scientific and research backed tips for achieving their goals. Harris is an expert goal-setter and has been called upon by Fortune 500 companies to assist with setting their strategic priorities, facilitate goal-setting sessions and provide inspirational talks.
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Just put one foot in the front of the other…