Famed psychologist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once explained why we should believe in other people using his flying lessons as an example. His instructor had told him, Frankl said, that if there’s a crosswind, you must aim for a spot that sits higher or lower than your actual destination. If you shoot for your actual target, you’ll miss it! Frankl suggested the same applies to humans: If we don’t give them more credit than they deserve, why would they ever improve?
There’s a similar analogy for modern planes: Even when everything is calculated to a tee, if you point the aircraft slightly more left or right before it takes off, unless you completely adjust your plan, the passengers might land in a different country than they had intended. “Be careful of small deviations,” this story seems to say. “They can have a bigger impact than you think.”
Lately, I find this also applies in the positive: If only I vary my path slightly from the norm, it may lead to a much better result.
For example, when showing my fiancée around the annual city festival, I suggested we walk on the side. Instead of shuffling amidst the big streams of crowds, we could pass behind the food stalls and vendors. Everyone trotted along in the middle of the street. Step one meter to the side, and you’re free.
When choosing a wedding date, the same pattern seems to apply. For one location, the earliest Saturday we could get lies 14 months in the future. “What about Sundays?” we asked. “Oh, then it’s no problem. Many dates available in June, July, August, and so on.” Deviate from the average by one day, and voilà!
Obstacles come with going fast. But they also come with venturing where everyone else is trying to go. Step off the main street for a minute. Slight deviations lead to uncrowded places—and sometimes, the surprise of where you’ll land is the best part of boarding a plane.
