Hey Rollers,
After two weeks of international travel – navigating the chaos of Heathrow and Istanbul Airports – I’ve realised something: airports always make me uneasy.
And no, it’s not the rubber gloves or the ROCS (risk of cavity search) that make me feel that way! 😅
Partly it’s the crowds (apparently 21 million people live in Istanbul, and London is a little less than half that). But it’s more than that. Airports have this strange energy, a collective hum of excitement, anticipation, and uncertainty. Everyone’s going somewhere, yet nobody’s quite there yet. Or they’ve only just arrived.
Airports are pure potential. They are places where everyone’s in between what was and what’s next. And the beautiful thing is that what’s next lives independently of what was.
Maybe that’s why they make me uncomfortable: because “in between” is where growth happens. And growth always carries a little discomfort with it.
Today’s newsletter carries the same flavour as last week’s on inertia, a kind of continuation. While #21 was about the ability to get unstuck, this week is about staying open – the art of embracing transitions instead of escaping them.
Most of us, if we’re honest, live like we’ve already arrived. We build routines, find our rhythm, and convince ourselves that stability equals success. But standing still for too long, even in comfort, slowly starts to feel like waiting at the wrong gate. Stuck.
What I’ve realised between hitting send last week and writing this today is that life is meant to feel like a busy airport. Messy, moving, uncertain, and alive. Transition.
That’s what I try to capture in these Sunday musings. Smart Toughness is learning to live in motion without needing everything to be certain. It’s staying engaged with the journey, even when you don’t know what seat you’re in yet – sitting there with fingers crossed, hoping you’re not stuck in the sweaty middle.
And that’s perhaps the quiet beauty of airports. They remind us we’re all in transit, all becoming.
Motion doesn’t always mean progress, but it always means potential.
And how exciting is that?
Until next week.
Keep rolling.
Justin 👊
Take Action in 3 Minutes:
Run a quick Transit Check:
👉 Where in your life could you trade certainty for curiosity?
- A project that needs a new direction?
- A routine that could use a little turbulence?
- A plan that’s ready for a detour?
Now take one small action that invites motion.