On a rainy afternoon, Eric dropped into an airport seat.

Flight delayed. Phone dead. A major client lost earlier that day.

His mind was having no trouble finding everything else that was going wrong.

Beside him sat an older man who eventually struck up a conversation. He had been a professor. He talked about cities he’d visited, people he met and how much he enjoyed watching the constant movement of an airport.

Eric listened politely.

Mostly.

His thoughts kept wandering back to the client, the delay and everything waiting for him when he finally got home.

When the man’s flight was called, he stood, picked up his bag and turned to Eric.

“Son, you’ll never see the lessons around you if you’re only focused on what’s missing.”

Then he walked toward his gate.

Eric stayed where he was.

Same delayed flight.
Same lost client.
Same dead phone.

But that sentence had interrupted something.

He had spent the afternoon cataloging everything the day had taken from him. He hadn’t considered what the interruption might be giving him.

Including the conversation he’d nearly missed.

When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

Most of us don’t welcome delays.

A canceled flight. A missed opportunity. A plan that falls apart. Something we’ve worked toward that doesn’t happen.

Frustration is a reasonable response. Disappointment deserves to be felt.

But once we’ve felt it, there is another question available:

What can I see from here that I couldn’t see before?

That question doesn’t turn a setback into a blessing.

It does widen the view.

Maybe the delay gives you information you didn’t have before.

Maybe the closed door forces a decision you’ve been avoiding.

Maybe nothing profound happens at all. You get a few unexpected hours to sit, think or call someone you haven’t talked to in awhile.

Perspective doesn’t require us to pretend everything is fine.

It asks us to look beyond what went wrong.

When You Find Yourself Stuck There

Try three questions:

What story am I telling myself?
Am I seeing the entire situation or replaying the worst part?

What is still available to me?
A different option? More information? A conversation? Time to reconsider?

What might I be missing because I’m focused on what I’m missing?

That last one may take a minute.

Some setbacks really are setbacks. Some losses don’t arrive carrying a hidden gift, and we don’t need to force meaning onto every difficult experience.

Still, perspective matters.

Back at the airport, Eric’s flight was still delayed.

The board hadn’t changed.

He had.

Sometimes that’s enough to change what happens next.