Joe Lombardi Said it Best

It's been a minute and a half since we've been here...My creativity with writing comes in waves and since starting the business of CabinsInTheSky, every ounce of brainpower I possess (and then a little more) has been used up and fried. Although I say this is the best way possible.

The people I've been able to reach, talk to, get to know, help, encourage, and build relationships with as a result in this amount of time, have been unbelievable. And in addition, I've become a better cabin attendant, business person, mentor, and colleague. So thank you.

But this blog isn't about that (believe me, at the 1-year mark there will be plenty of sappiness to go around, believe you me.) This is about the notion of perfectionism and the amount of time you don't have to accomplish all of your goals and dreams, within and outside of this industry because you're waiting for perfection. The perfection that doesn't exist and never will.

My millennial is probably going to show here but stick with me. 

Believe me when I say, the messages you send me and your responses to emails do not go unnoticed. I mull over them for weeks, always in a good way, but also in the "did I give them the best possible advice I could with the information I had?" You know, just things that keep you up at night..like catering and wondering what silly thing you said to a guest on that one flight 6 months ago...the usual.

There was an instance a few weeks ago when I was chatting with a peer and we were discussing a multitude of things, but one piece that stood out was her lack of confidence. She was so hung up on her resume being "perfect" and the wording being just right, and it had been holding her back from pursuing opportunities. I'm one of the first people to tell you to cross your t's and dot your i's before handing off a resume, but the idea of a perfect resume is so incredibly subjective. Plus, the goal of a resume isn't to tell the entire story, just to connect some dots and make it stand out enough for someone to want to talk to you in person. That's where you'll shine.

Then earlier this week, I received another message from a peer the other day that genuinely softened my heart and, to be quite honest, came after a day when I was not feeling too great in the confidence department.

Yes, I fall victim to a lack of confidence more often than you think.

She, in a much more eloquent way, wanted me to know how much my emails meant to her and how one particular one I sent out the other day sank it. It completely changed the trajectory of her mindset, thus her day, and in turn - her experience onboard. The email was one I had forwarded from a business coach I follow, so it wasn't even my words, but the sentiment remained.

The message was about how easy it can be to spiral into negativity, but just as easy as you can spiral, you have the ability to change the narrative you tell yourself. How you're the only one who can go from beating yourself up to learning a lesson and getting better and moving forward. This narrative and confidence comes from within, and nowhere else. We are responsible for the thoughts we tell ourselves and how we choose to act upon them.

Fast-forward to Sunday, I was watching an old episode of Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna where they were working on their fabulous hotel in Waco. Chip was taking about someone who inspired the hotel, and quoted him saying, "If we wait for the perfect time, all we get is older."

The most truth I've heard. And here's how it applies to our industry...

Everything we talk about boils down to...

- My resume needs to be perfect before I apply for that job

- I want my plating onboard to be perfect

-  My service must be flawless

- The photo I take of my welcome table must look perfect before I share it on LinkedIn or in my portfolio

- I have to be perfect  with every move I make onboard

- My response or experience has to be perfect before I respond in front of my peers out of fear of being judged or talked down to

I hate to break it to you (and this is coming from a self-proclaimed, former perfectionist), but that is never going to happen. Not only are you and your work never going to be PERFECT, but the idea of PERFECTION is so incredibly subjective, that even if you were to achieve perfection in someone's opinion, it won't be in another, and thus the spiral begins. This was an exact conversation I had with an, in my humble opinion, brilliant industry peer. And he agreed.

We cannot WAIT to do something until it's perfect because perfect is not what it will ever be.

We don't have time in this career as it stops and waits for no one.

If there is an opportunity you want to seize, go after it NOW.

If there is a training you want to take, register for it immediately.

If there is a scholarship you need, apply for it after you're done reading this.

If you want to start networking, get on LinkedIn and drive yourself to the next aviation event or FBO tomorrow.

Because when you stop waiting, and quit trying to achieve perfection, you're going to catch excellence and deliver experiences and THAT, my fellow cabin attendants, is what makes you great. Doing, and not waiting, is what builds confidence. You should always be giving your best effort and providing your best service and hospitality, but you will spiral and psych yourself out by putting unrealistic pressure and expectations on yourself.

Just like Joe Lombardi said, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

Don't wait. Start catching excellence now.