Planes, Trains and Automobiles and the art of embracing unexpected chaos

Let's celebrate "Someday We'll Laugh About This" week with Neal Page and Del Griffith

The week of January 2nd-8th is "Someday We'll Laugh About This Week". Yes it is a real holiday week and is described as:

"A time to leave the old behind and make way for the new. Only when we can look back, laugh at, and change our perspectives can we move on."

In the 1987 movie classic - Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Neal Page (played by Steve Martin) and his soon to be travel companion Del Griffith (played by John Candy) are both heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday. As the title suggests their journey takes through a variety of transportation modes all of which fail them in some way, shape or form. Beyond the ones in the title, they also deal with a broken down bus, one degree weather in the back of a pickup truck, a car that catches on fire (thank you Del), taxicab mishaps and so much more.

During their plight, the comedic duo of Steve Martin and John Candy taught us quite a bit about our life and career journey through their multiple transportation challenges during that trip home and at one point Neal (Steve Martin) says this to Del (John Candy):

"As much trouble as I've had on this little journey, I'm sure one day I'll look back on it and laugh."

With this simple quote, he teaches us quite a bit about our life and career journeys:

👉 Just when you think you’ve got it on cruise control, smooth sailing is ahead, or any number of bad clichés that every office has plastered on a wall somewhere, you find your career or life delayed, diverted, or catching on fire, and not in a good way.

👉 You’ve hit a rough spot. Maybe you’ve lost your passion. Maybe your passion has been ripped out from under you by a bad manager or life challenge.

👉 In the words of the 80s pop rock band Loverboy, you find yourself “working for the weekend,” which is no way to build a career.

👉 Look, we aren’t perfect. Anyone whose career or life journey is exactly as they dreamed it would be is, in the words of Madonna, a “Lucky Star.”

👉 Your journey will probably look more like the chaotic but incredibly entertaining travels in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure than the substantially less bumpy traipses of The Golden Girls.

👉 So, get ready, because diversions, delays, cancellations, uncomfortable seating arrangements, and even explosions are all going to be part of your professional and life journey.

👉 It will be tough sometimes; no doubt about it, but here’s the cool thing: they will all provide you with opportunities to learn. You will definitely “look back on it and laugh.

And just like Neal Page, you may just make an unexpected best friend along the way. That would be pretty cool.