By Bill Mason | Rocket Fuel Coach
Last week, I was in Colorado Springs for a coaches’ training, soaking up the mountain views and investing in my growth. On Sunday, we packed our bags, ready to fly home. But Dallas had other plans—thunderstorms delayed our flight. No problem. We were rebooked for Tuesday.
Tuesday rolled around. We went to the airport. Same story. Thunderstorms again in Dallas. Another delay. A little more frustrating, but I took it in stride. Then came Wednesday. This time, the aircraft was broken. No weather to blame. Just a maintenance issue. I was done. My patience, thin. My attitude, sour.
By day three, I wasn’t just frustrated—I was complaining. Snapping at airline staff, short with my wife, muttering to myself like a grown man who lost his toy. I didn’t like the guy I was becoming. I caught myself mid-rant and thought, This isn’t who I want to be. It’s okay to express frustration—but turning into a whiny baby who didn’t get his way? That’s not the man I want to be.
So, I sat. I took a breath. And I brewed—not in anger this time, but in reflection.
We were stuck in Colorado Springs, not a cramped airport terminal. We had a friend’s empty house all to ourselves. We had their car. We had each other. We weren’t stranded in a storm or sleeping in a gate chair. We were safe. Comfortable. In a stunning place. God was giving me something I hadn’t planned for: rest.
In that moment, I remembered a simple truth: I get to choose. Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” And it hit me—if I keep choosing frustration, I become frustrated. If I keep choosing gratitude, I become grateful.
So I chose gratitude. Not just once, but again and again. Every time my heart wanted to pout or point fingers, I turned it toward what was good. I stopped rehearsing what went wrong and started remembering what was right.
By Thursday, our plane finally took off. No delays. No drama. Just a peaceful trip home. I walked off that plane not just relieved to be home—but grateful for who I became in the waiting.
We don’t become who we are in the big moments. We become who we are in the small ones—when plans get delayed, when expectations aren’t met, when people disappoint us. That’s when character is shaped. That’s when habits are formed.
So, let me ask you:
Are you choosing gratitude over contempt?
Are you becoming someone who sees life as happening for you—or against you?
If you’re ready to train your mindset the same way we train muscles or leadership skills—let’s talk. Executive coaching isn’t just about business outcomes. It’s about becoming the kind of person your future self—and your team—can be proud of.
Gratefully,
Bill Mason, Rocket Fuel Coach
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