“Put on your own oxygen mask…”
Shared by Kristina Smedley
Are you one of the flying passengers that the flight attendants probably love because you actually remove your headphones and pay attention to the safety briefing?
Or, have you heard it a million times, and like most of us, and don’t even flinch unless they have something seriously entertaining intertwined with the regular, “The lighted walkways will lead you to the exits, etc etc etc.”
I usually pay attention and smile at them… I mean, you never know, maybe I’ll get an extra cookie or something!. 
But, it was also on a flight a couple of years ago that I had an ah-ha moment, obvious but still ah-ha…
I was just starting my servant-leadership concentration classes for my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University (side note… it's seriously THE BEST school and program… let me know if you ever want to chat about it!).
In class, we're talking about how the servant leader has the initial inclination to serve first and then chooses to lead. And at that moment on the plane, I thought… “how can the servant-leader properly serve others if they don’t take care of themselves first?”
“Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.”
I was flying from SoCal to Seattle, so I had a couple hours to ponder this and really consider if I was taking good care of myself and what things needed some immediate attention!
At the time, I was doing crossfit/bootcamp type workouts… but my knees were really starting to hurt. So, that could probably use some work.
I was ALWAYS tired and my eyes were getting more wrinkles… 6 hours of sleep wasn’t cutting it, especially with the amount we were working and working out.
I was also going a million miles an hour, and never slowing down. Shortly after this flight was when I first started meditating, through which I have really appreciated the sense of calm and clarity received, the ability to be present and to appreciate what is. But more on all that in a future post.
Since this first ah-ha moment, I have used the many air travel safety briefings I’ve heard as reminders to block out distractions for a few minutes and think about my self-care needs.
The Mindfluent™ Leader model puts “Mindfully Evolving” in the center for a reason; it’s a reminder to focus on your self-care and development, as this will help enable all the other characteristics!
I challenge you to consider your own self-care.
What do you need to start now?
And when you forget about this post and forget about your own self-care, I hope you’ll be reminded next time you’re on a flight to put on your oxygen mask before assisting others, to prioritize your self-care.
#MindfullyEvolving
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