managed a shrinking budget, a shifting attendee count, three last-minute changes, and at least one AI conversation you didn’ t ask for. And all before lunch. We are leading in an era defined by disruption.

In 1985, two economists coined the term VUCA – Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity – to describe our post-Cold War world, and it still rings true to this day.

So where do we go from here?

There’ s some inspiration we can take from something many of us are on multiple times a year: the airplane. Think about your home airport. Some days you fly out one direction, and another day you take off a different direction.

That’ s not because air traffic control is thinking,“ Hmm … I wonder what view we should give passengers today!” There’ s actually a ton of science behind it.

“ The minute-byminute score of travelling really isn’ t all that great. But you remember the moments”

Nolan Nichols

An airplane uses less fuel when it takes off against that wind. It’ s because planes are designed so the wind doesn’ t bring the aircraft down, it lifts it higher. The power of the engine and the design of the wings use the resistance of the wind to create lift.

Here’ s where I’ m going with this: how can we as people use the challenges in our personal lives and professional roles so that they lift us higher instead of bring us down?

I believe the X-factor comes down to‘ Making the Moment’.

The power of moments Let’ s pretend you run into your friends, Micah & Colleen, and ask how their recent trip to Paris was. You know what they’ re going to say:“ It was great. It was a trip of a lifetime!”

Hold up. Let’ s go hour by hour to see how great it really was.

They pay an unexpected charge of $ 100 per person for checked bags, get no sleep on the redeye flight, don’ t understand French and get very confused. They take the wrong metro train, order a dish they don’ t like and wait in a very long queue to see the Mona Lisa.