Stay Uncomfortable

This story does not end with a win. It ends with a lesson.

I am typing this on my notes app on a 4.5 hour flight from Mexico City. There’s a crying baby in front of me. My back is sweaty and my lulu lemon joggers are stuck to the underside of my thighs all because this Aeromexico flight the did not want to turn on the AC before the flight started. (4 hours later im still in the same sweaty state)

If that was my biggest pain point from this trip I’d say this was a good trip. (it’s shaping up to be that way)

I showed up to the airport 4 hours before my flight. Not because my mom told me I needed to show up that early before an international departure. I wanted to get into one of the lounges to enjoy a mid tier espresso, sub par snacks, charge my phone, and some air conditioning before my flight back to San Francisco. 

I’ve been to this Aeromexico lounge before at the CDMX airport. At 6am before my return flight to Tijuana in May of 2023 last year. I got in. It was beautiful.  An open room, in the center a circular bar slinging lates, coconut water, and Heinekens (yes at 6 am). 

I wanted back in. I show up to the desk at 1:35 pm for my 5pm flight. They told me they weren’t taking any priority pass guests at the moment because they were at capacity. They were prioritizing Aeromexico business class members. I could put my name in through a WhatsApp portal and wait at least 50 minutes to hope to get in. Fuck that…..

I texted the WhatsApp number and put my name on the list anyways. 

I went to stand outside the lounge and see an American looking couple that’s waiting there. I asked them how long they’ve been waiting for. 50 mins for a quoted 20 minute wait. odds are not looking to be in my favor. 

20 minutes pass by. More people walk up to the desk excited to get into the lounge. 95% walk away with the look of defeat or frustration that they need to text a WhatsApp bot to get into this lounge their credit card company promised they’d have access to around the world. 

Quick tangent: I’m throughly convinced the travel credit cards and their priority pass lounge access have completely lost their benefit. Almost all lounges hate priority pass holders. They’re typically chase card holders and there’s too many of them. So they block them out. That’s one of the biggest selling points of the card. Now the benefit is gone. 

Ok back on topic. Im telling myself. I’m not waiting out here for 50 minutes to get into this lounge. I’m getting in sooner. I went back up to see what position in line I was. They told me they can’t see that. I asked if I could pay to get in. I know bribery works here. 

It didn’t…

Time to play dumb. I asked if I could come in if I wasn’t planning to eat lunch. Another hard no. 

They kept letting these business class passengers in. But not the priority pass members.  

New idea:

I would ask anyone trying to come in if I could be their +1 if they had a business class ticket. 

Or 

I would ask someone on their way out if they’d be open to turning around and brining me in with them as a plus one just to stick it to the front desk people. 

I did this for a half hour. I asked almost 2 dozen people if they would get me it. I got rejected almost 2 dozen times. I got close once. One guy said he would’ve done it but his special access only gets him in and not a plus one.  

I wanted to get in. It wasn’t about saving 4 dollars on a coffee and getting free food. It became about getting comfortable with being rejected over and over again until I had the sweet sensation of beating the system that was rigged against me. 

Guess what? I lost the game. I didn’t get in.

If you know me I prefer to spin a negative situation (that’s relative here) into a positive. It’s all about perspective. 

Jared didn’t get his cute credit card lounge perk. Yeah whatever. I didn’t. But I got something more important. I got rejected 24 times in 30 minutes. 

I faced rejection. Something I sought to get used to more. I need to get comfortable with being rejected over and over again. I’ll become numb to it. Know that it’s ok to be rejected. 

After hundreds of those rejections. I’ll learn a hundred ways to ask or offer something. And then. After a couple 100. I will learn what gets someone to say yes.

I will by then have found out how to creatively get what I want. Or ways around traditional obstacles. 

The way you can learn how to get into a side door is to test all the doors to make sure they’re really locked. 

Today was just one step closer to figuring out how to find a side door.

I’m ok with that.

Love You 🖤

Jared

PS - Remember i typed this on my phone. Type-o’s happen. But a skipped newsletter does not 🤝🏻

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