I've technically been to Iceland before—multiple times, actually. During my 12 years as an Air Force F-15/F-16 maintenance officer, I passed through Keflavik on deployments and international flights. But those were quick stops—refuel the jet, stretch my legs, back in the air. I never actually SAW Iceland. Until now.
This time is different. This time, Mike and I are HERE.
We landed at 7 AM. Got through customs and to our hotel by 9 AM. Check-in wasn't until 3 PM. So we did what any seasoned travelers do—we camped out in the hotel lobby and passed out on the couch. If you followed along on my Belize trip, you know Mike has a talent for catching me asleep in public places. The banana halo on the airport floor has now been joined by the green pillow nap in Reykjavik. (You're welcome.)
Our guide drove us from the airport through vast, otherworldly lava fields—black volcanic rock stretching to the horizon, moss-covered and ancient. It looked like another planet. And when we walked into the lobby of Grandi by Center Hotels, there it was on the TV: Journey to the Center of the Earth.
As a kid, I was fascinated by that movie. I'd completely forgotten it was inspired by Iceland—by Snæfellsjökull volcano, the very place Jules Verne imagined as the gateway to the Earth's core. The lava fields I had just driven through were the setting for one of my childhood favorites. Tomorrow, we're actually touring the Snæfellsnes Peninsula where the story is set. Full circle—from a childhood movie, through military layovers, to finally BEING here.
Oh, and a ginger cat followed me right into the hotel. Strutted past the front desk like he owned the place. Iceland's welcome committee, apparently.
That evening, we had dinner at the hotel restaurant—Icelandic lamb for me, steak for Mike, and a toast with Iceland's famously pure glacier water. (Yes, even the water here tastes tremendous.) After all those years of passing through, I was finally tasting Iceland.
After dinner, we walked along Reykjavik's harbor to see Harpa Concert Hall—a stunning glass building that glows from the inside out. The facade is inspired by Iceland's volcanic basalt columns, and each of the 1,000+ glass panels catches the light differently. Against the Icelandic dusk, it shimmers like nothing I've ever seen.
Harpa doesn't have spotlights on the outside. The light comes from within—and it shines through over a thousand unique glass panels, each one different, each one catching the glow in its own way.
My dad, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones, used to say: "Atmosphere doesn't come out of nothing. Somebody has to create it."
That building is a picture of what leadership looks like. What you carry inside—your attitude, your energy, your spirit—radiates outward whether you intend it to or not. People see it. People feel it. It's emotional contagion. You can't fake the glow. Either the light is on inside, or it isn't.
That's really what my next book, Natural Born Follower, is all about. And it's what I was coaching a group of senior leaders on just last week before this trip. The light has to come from within. But here's the thing—you have to be WILLING. Willing to be a great follower before you lead. Willing to serve. Willing to love others. Willing to be developed. If you're closed off, if you think you've arrived, if you resist being shaped—there's no light source inside. You can polish the outside all you want, but there's nothing to shine through.
Natural Born Follower releases next month. Standing in front of Harpa, I thought: that's the whole book in one building. The light has to come from within—and that starts with being willing to follow.
Before heading back to the hotel, we couldn't resist the ferris wheel on the harbor—lit up purple and pink against the Icelandic sky. My second F\ferris wheel this summer (you might remember the Tremendous Boot Kick at the July 4th DC celebration). This time, Mike and I posed inside a glowing heart frame, because why not? We're in ICELAND.
Tomorrow, we board the Regent Seven Seas Voyager for 12 days of volcanoes, glaciers, thermal baths, puffin watching, standing stones in Scotland, Irish pubs, and a Jameson whiskey tour. The journey is just beginning.
Standing in front of Harpa, watching it glow from within against the Icelandic night sky, I couldn't help but ask myself: What am I beaming out to the world tonight?
Stay tuned! I love having you along on my journeys!
Tracey
