67 . No Ask , No Get
I ’ m on an airplane as I write this chapter . I love being at 35,000 feet . No distractions . No interruptions . Pure think time . Only one problem - forgot my water . I ’ ll explain .
One of my best practices around flying is drinking a ton of water while in the sky . I ’ ll drink a liter easily . It prevents dehyderation , keeps me energized and maintains sharpness of mind . I get many of my biggest ideas on airplanes . And when I get off the plane , rather than being tired , I go straight home to do fun stuff with my kids . But before this flight – because I was rushing to make my connection – I missed my ritual . I didn ’ t buy my agua . So guess what I did ? I asked for some .
It never hurts to ask .
I walked over to the flight attendant and explained that I drink a lot of water and wondered whether he could help out , if there was an extra big bottle of the good stuff on board . I know they usually only provide a glass or two , but I fiercely believe that it never hurts to ask . To me , that ’ s an organizing principle I try to live my life by – and it ’ s served me so well . I was polite . I wasn ’ t pushy . I just asked for what I wanted .
“ With pleasure ,” came the reply . And with that he walked over to a metal trolley , opened it up and pulled out the prize : a 1.5 liter bottle of Vittel water . Perfect . So here I sit , nice and hydrated . Listening to Boozoo Bajou ’ s awesome CD Dust My Broom on my iPod and reading The Spirit to Serve , J . W . Marriott ’ s book on how the hotel chain got where it is . No jet lag for me from this flight . No chance . Because I asked .