OK, so this is my GLAM post.
You know, the “humble brag”
as they call it.
Seriously though, it’s a fun one…
and it even surprised me.
The story:
I was booked to deliver
the closing (end of day) keynote for
Farm Bureau Financial Services
in Omaha, Mon Sept 18.
Then, I received another inquiry
to be the opening keynote speaker
for an event in Cleveland to take place
the following morning, Tues Sept 19.
I was thrilled.
Once I looked into flights, however,
it became clear that doing both
gigs was simply not feasible.
I was about to decline
the Cleveland opportunity . . .
and then an idea popped into my head.
“What if I flew private?”
Last year, I’d become friends with a
wonderful entrepreneur based in Omaha.
Due to his success, he had
“fractional ownership” in a private plane.
I messaged him.
“Any chance you can help me figure out
how to get from Omaha to Cleveland
on the night of Sept 18?”
He replied within minutes.
Long story short, Cory Wiedel
–who is not only phenomenally
successful but also one of
the nicest and most humble
entrepreneurs I’ve ever met–
made it work.
Cory set up the logistics,
and I covered the flight costs
using part of my speaking fee.
It was well worth it.
When it came time for the trip,
I was a like giddy kid, gleeful and lit up.
In business and personal development,
people often talk about the value
of not giving up, of determination,
and of grit.
But what’s often not acknowledged:
the people who help you
make these moments possible.
I could never have had
this private plane experience
or booked these back to back gigs
without Cory’s support.
So this, for me, was a not a lesson
in my resourcefulness, but rather
a lesson in Cory’s kindness
and generosity of spirit . . .
and how much we each owe
to those people who have
so selflessly helped us along the way.
Risk Forward & Fly On,
P.S. For the private charter fee to be manageable for me, Cory (as part-plane-owner) had to be on the flight, too––meaning, I couldn’t fly solo. So Cory flew with me from Omaha to Cleveland, dropped me off at 10:30pm, and then flew back home. Amazing.
P.P.S. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a wee bit scared (white knuckles on take off, for sure) but once we were in the air, it was like we were a silver bird. This particular private aviation company is so aptly named: Silverhawk.
