365 Days of Living the Dale Carnegie Principles
Day 44. Sunday, May 8, 2011
I landed at DFW airport around 10:30 pm and was anxious to get home and type up my substitute blogs and my Sunday blog. I have tons of material to share.
I landed at Terminal E7.
Darn it—I think to myself. I parked at Terminal B. That’s always my luck.
I got my luggage and took a shuttle to Terminal B. I smiled at the shuttle driver and gave him a good tip. Life is good. These Dale Carnegie principles are easy to apply!
I walked to the parking garage for Terminal B, section 7, Level B.
Where’s my car?
I can't find my car!
I had taken a photo of the sign where I parked—and now the sign is looking a bit vague to my tired mind. I don’t know which Terminal I parked in. I just know it’s Gate 7, Level B. There are four Terminals at this airport.
I pressed the panic button on my car to see if I hear the alarm. Nothing but deafening silence.
I tried looking up the departing gate information from Friday but United Airlines doesn’t keep that information online. They only have current data. For some reason, I had a mental note of the letter “E” for my departing terminal. I remembered picturing an elephant when I parked my car. And United Airlines always departs from Terminal E.
I took a chance and got back on the shuttle and went to Terminal E. (Where I landed). I felt confident my car is there. Fortunately, my load of luggage was light because I had forgotten my laptop in Michigan. (ha).
My second shuttle ride through airport
I gave the new shuttle driver a generous tip. I strolled through to the Terminal E garage and snap photos here and there for future blogs. I am not remotely stressed. I am confident and calm.
As I approach Terminal B, Gate 7, Level B—I see my car. I get inside the car completely relaxed and notice my favorite tune on the radio. Life is still good.
The Dale Carnegie principles I used are from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living:
Get all the facts.
Try to profit from your losses.
Before taking the Dale Carnegie course I would have panicked that I lost my car somewhere in the very large maze of parking garages at DFW Airport. But I realized there was no point in getting worked up. I knew I’d find the car. I had enough clues to piece together that I was certain everything would work out. And it did.
Remember, instead of getting worked up about a potential disaster, stay focused on getting all the facts. When you do this—you can solve your problem more efficiently and avoid needless worry or stress.
The Smiling Daffodil 