I usually don’t. Yesterday I did. For 3 hours straight.

I led a workshop in San Antonio and was flying back to Chicago. On a plane-especially after a training-I usually look forward to burying myself in a book…or sleeping…or getting caught up on emails…or……

…anything except for talking to the person next to me. My old excuses were “I’m tired,” “It’s not productive,” or “They don’t look like someone I want to know.”

The truth was – I was afraid.

I’m comfortable in front of a room of 100 people doing a presentation but having a one-on-one conversation – that’s another story. #PURPOSEDRIVEN#

Don’t get me wrong. I know how to make conversation, connect with people, be sociable. But when I did it I was pretty superficial and being fake was pretty draining. So – I didn’t do it.

Over the last couple of years I’ve been working on being more genuine. And this year – I’ve really decided that to achieve the things I want in life – I not only want to learn these skills – I want to be great at them.

The motivator came for me when Dr. Judith Wright was sharing research from several books talk about how real success is not about innate talent but a learned skill that comes from putting in dedicated practice.

So…I’m practicing! I’m practicing making eye contact more, asking people how they are doing, starting conversations, being real with people when I talk, disagreeing when I disagree…and seeing where it goes.

I didn’t decide to talk have a 3 hour conversation on the plane. I just decided to be real and share myself and ask questions.

My seatmate and I talked about everything from his business in the biotech arena to career skills to parenting to hunting and even dog training! (My only pet is a fish)

It was a blast. I got back to the office after my flight and two co-workers said how good I looked – that I didn’t look like I had just flown in that morning. I gave the credit to my practice – to the 3 hour genuine conversation. More nourishing than a nap and leaves you looking better than a facial!

Now I’m looking forward to my next “practice.”

Have a good plane ride experience? I’d love to hear about it.