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QaR
February 2009 
Not Getting on That Jet to Oprah's house
Spencer
As soon as I was invited to Oprah's house on a private jet, I noticed my excitement and fear. "Wow," my little boy said, "this is cool - no lines, no security barriers, I'm like royalty!" Then the fear arose: "what if I love the private jet, will I feel pressure to buy one?" I've always believed that "you get what you pay for." Would I get exponentially more pleasure from this ride than a coach seat on Jet Blue? Cause that's how much it costs to ride on a jet-exponentially more than a commercial plane. "You get what you pay for" influenced me to buy a luxury car I didn't need and sold one year later, work non-stop to make more money to afford things I thought I'd need, overbuy clothes just because they're higher quality, put rich people on pedestals and feel separate from and less than them and consequently feel better than low income people - not a great strategy for developing friendships and business connections.
Like many of us, I got the message as a young child that there is something magical about rich people and the services and products they use.
So, back to the airplane. We arrive at the private hangar, park, wait 15 minutes in a reception area, then board the plane. No security lines, no i.d. check, no safety announcement, no baggage screening or metal detectors. They invite you on board, then immediately, without a word from the pilot (Doesn't anyone care if we buckle up? Apparently not.) we're moving and up in the air. Hey, I can see the pilot right through the open door! The time from parking the car to departure is a total of 20 minutes. Try to replicate that in a relaxed, stress-free manner on a commercial flight.
I sit. I feel my knees touch the opposing knees of the tall fellow facing me. Yes, we're sitting sideways and we're tilting left as we ascend. I smile and realize "Hey, even coach class on a commercial flight has more leg room and at least I'm always facing forward!" Here, only four of the sixteen passengers are faced forwards. What a relief. I can scratch "private jet" off Santa's list.
Then I laugh. The kid wanted a private jet and the adult found reasons to reject it. I witness these feelings of excitement, fear of being greedy, and just plain fear. The kid wants it all. I don't try to squash the greed or subdue the fear. I befriend the twins and start to feel spaciousness in my mind. An openness ensues which allows me to enjoy the moment without the attachment to or rejection of any future actions. Just enjoying the kid and allowing the twins to hang out in the presence of joy. Fear, greed, joy all together now. If they can co-exist, I can allow myself the gift of this moment. The freedom of feeling joy now, of enjoying the wonder of flight without any thought or need for another private jet in my life. OK, now I'm getting this money madness thing down.
Access: Public
This reminds me of the Economist article where they were talking about first-class seats on commercial aircraft and suggested that instead of a first-class ticket, that one instead buy 3 or 4 coach seats for the same price. That way, stretched out across the seats, enjoying 3 meals, you can revel in the relative comfort because you're surrounded by people who have just normal coach seats. If you're actually in first class, you're surrounded by people just like you, and what's the fun in that! Tongue in cheek, of course, but it says a lot about (some of) the reasons people enjoy first class travel or other first-class consumption…
I hate flying to Oprah's house……..she always orders take out and stares at me.
I tried to “buy low/sell high” but you forgot to tell me about the dollar, gold, shorting, covered call writing, agricultural commodities, inflation, and TIPS.
Great perspective and analogy of the “kid in me loves/but the adult says” dichotomy. I became a flight attendant for a regional airline last summer in order to subsidize my income as I continue to build a PR business and to be sure I had continuous coverage of health insurance (very important during these days here in America!), and I constantly joke around with the passengers (many are businessmen and women). When they get on the aircraft, they will say, “Wow, not very big,” or ask “Do we have assigned seats?” I generally say, “Oh, your seat is in Business-Class, which is the last section of the aircraft in rows 8, 9 or 10.” ;) (This aircraft is an Embraer Brasila with 30 seats, which is about the equivalent to a private jet)
It gets a chuckle from time-to-time, unless they are just ragged out in general from flying and traveling for work.
I do concur with allowing yourself the gift of the moment! Nicely said, Thanks!