22K? Go through, turn right.

I find my seat, take out a few things from my backpack and begin my ritual of settling into another flight. It’s an overnight flight so the blanket is made accessible, the earphones in, and this time an eye mask is put on. I’m testing out a theory a well seasoned traveller shared, “when the eye mask is on, less people bother you.” And so, I’m trying it.

The eye mask was a signal to everyone – fellow passengers, flight attendants – a type of ‘do not disturb’ sign propped up on my nose. And for the most part it worked.

Signals are all around us; we send them constantly, yet often we are not aware of the signals we send. If we pay attention, if we ask others, we can bring the signals out of the unconscious to the conscious and then we can decide which ones we actually want to be sending. We can use signals in our daily lives, on flights, and in the change we are wanting to create. Signals are often small, but very powerful, so use with care and make sure they are consistent with the message(s) you are wanting to send; otherwise you create confusion.

It’s not easy, but the first step is being aware, so what signals are you sending?