Stuck in Life’s Airport Lounge? It’s Time to Board Your Flight to Real Life | Build A Life That Matters
- Hedi
- Nov 4
- 3 min read
Today, we need to dive into something a little deeper than the usual motivational pep talk. Not to judge. But to wake up. Together.
Lately, I’ve been wondering: are we still human, or have we normalized insanity? I mean, for real.
I see it. You see it. People are exhausted. They’re running around like robots — ticking boxes, chasing goals, promising themselves that one day, when the meetings stop and the kids are grown, they’ll finally live.
But wait. Can I ask you in real honesty: what about yours right now? Where are you sitting in your personal airport lounge of life, waiting for “someday” to board the flight to happiness?
If you’re feeling triggered, don’t worry — not your fault. We’ve built an entire culture around postponing life. “Work hard now, enjoy later”! It's the mantra of the modern age. But what if this story we’ve been taught to admire is really a form of self-abandonment? What if waiting for life is the very thing keeping us from it?
Our culture — and economy — is built around keeping this illusion alive. It keeps us chasing small hits of relief instead of real change. The next productivity app. The wellness retreat. The long weekend that promises to fix what overwork crushed. Quick fixes for a system that thrives on exhaustion — and calls it success.
And I honestly begin to wonder: Are we human, or have we normalized insanity?
I see it every day in the company I currently work with, and it’s breaking my heart: brilliant, committed people dealing with chronic stress, heartburn, insomnia. The question is never how to flip the programming and create a system that can’t break you — it’s always how to keep going until the next holiday or sabbatical. And then back to the next terminal of the airport lounge, boarding another delayed flight.
Numbers don't lie
And the numbers? “Interesting” to say the least.
Nearly 40% of Americans die within two years of retirement (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017).
Sixty-seven percent of employees report feeling disengaged at work, costing the economy an estimated $500 billion in lost productivity each year (Gallup, 2022). Which means we are literally sitting in the airport lounge of life — waiting for a flight to freedom that may never come.
And for entrepreneurs, the numbers aren’t better.
Around 72% of entrepreneurs experience burnout at some point in their careers (Harvard Business Review, 2018).
More than 50% report that burnout has harmed their mental health, and nearly 40% work more than 60 hours per week — often at the expense of their relationships and well-being (Gitnux, 2024; WiFiTalents, 2024). I’ve been there too — that push to survive one more week, one more project, one more client.
This isn’t just a societal pattern. It’s a mindset. Every time we defer joy, freedom, love, or purpose for later, we reinforce the victim mentality: life happens to us, not through us. We trade our creative power for compliance, our presence for performance. We wait for permission — from the system, from circumstance, from the right timing — to finally feel alive.
And now you can call me insane: but don’t you think that when life becomes something to endure until moment XYZ, it loses its entire meaning? Utterly disconnected from the human spirit that craves creation, connection, and growth?
So, let’s do this one more time:
Where are you waiting for this “one day” flight? Take a deep breath. And: what small action today could reconnect you to the life you truly want?
Reclaiming your life isn’t about rebellion. It’s about remembering that you are the author of your own story. It’s not the finish line — it’s a daily practice. That work can be an expression, not just an obligation.
The shift: Build A Life That Matters
And that shift?
Happens when we stop waiting and start creating — when we live by our values now, not later. When we stop managing time and start inhabiting it.
After all: what if the question isn’t how much time we have left — but how much of ourselves we are still withholding from life?
Because every choice, every “I’ll do it later” is being witnessed — by the people we love, the world we influence, and the next generation who is learning what it means to truly live.
We don’t just reclaim life for ourselves. We reclaim it for those who are watching.
Next step
Start reclaiming it. Build A Life That Matters. One small prototype at a time.
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