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Dreams

Delta Is Creating Better Stories

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Have you seen this? It’s a neat concept!

There is a video embedded here. If you are using an RSS reader and cannot see it, click here.

I first learned about this from Jon Acuff, and while Jon is brilliant and I love his way of using this video to demonstrate that Delta has a great business model, I like to think of them as having the desire to create great stories.

Naïve? Yes. I guess that’s the dreamer in me.

I know this is a marketing gimmick by Delta to increase loyalty with their airline. But the absolutely wonderful side effect of this is that they are using their brand to promote better stories.

By allowing a seasoned innovator to spend a few hours in the air – “wasted” time – mentoring another person, Delta is turning an arduous task (air travel) into an opportunity for fulfillment.

By enabling a young entrepreneur to spend a few hours with someone in their field with knowledge and wisdom and – hopefully – a helpful attitude, Delta is propping up their dream and giving them a gift they can never, ever forget.

I can only imagine the results of these “Innovation Class” flights.

What if this opportunity reminds that seasoned innovator of what it was like to be in the seat next to them? Young, unsure, but full of potential? What if this opportunity allows that innovator to give back in a way that they just can’t in daily life? And what if they realize that this is what they are missing: the chance to mentor. It could change their life.

It could change a generation.

I know that sounds like too much – like I am excessively extrapolating hope out of a mere publicity stunt – but what if it does? There is no denying that the potential is there.

I believe very strongly in mentoring. I think that partnering with someone younger, less experienced, who may not have the same opportunities that you do can yield immeasurable results for generations to come.

I have been lucky enough to have benefited from these types of interactions. I hope to someday do the same for someone else.

And I think Delta is a stand-up company for facilitating these kinds of connections.

What are your thoughts? And will this make you fly delta next time?

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The Stories of Others: Links From All Over

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I’m traveling for the day job, spending a couple of days at a trade show in Atlanta, GA. In light of this, and in acknowledgement of my new-found sense of community, I’m sharing with you some writings from around the web that have fascinated me, spoke to my soul, or just made me stop and think.

Adam S McHugh Dreams Quote Wine

If you are a dreamer:

  • Adam S. McHugh, author of Introverts in the Church, has been writing this last year about transition as he moves from one field to another: from ministry to wine-making. With amazing honesty, he wrote last week about what it is like to try again where you once failed. Read his post Once More into the Breach for more about dreams that change.
  • I’m often deciding how best to spend my time: writing content, or jimmying with my email subscription service? Megan Dougherty at Paying for Life helped me sort it out a bit better with a post that starts with a rainbow loom bracelet: “Know what you can do well – and either learn the rest, or get someone to help you do it.”

 If you are a writer:

  • What do you do when you go back and read 50,000 words of a novel that need to be redone? If you are me, you panic first and then serendipitously stumble upon a post from Mary Carroll Moore about revision and the growth your writing goes through.
  • This article from buffer reaffirmed for me that getting up at 5:30 AM everyday to write is worth it.

If you are a thinker:

  • What I wish I would have articulated about the #banbossy movement, but couldn’t find the words. Anna at Girl, Defined takes on the movement, with eloquence and grace.
  • Do you believe in such a thing as insignificant choices? Nate Canada doesn’t, and I might not either after reading this post.

Did any of these articles strike a chord with you? Do you have something else I should read? Chime in below!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend stuff that is good! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”