Developing the Right Mindset
01:01:05
Irenka exploring the Bazaars and Mosques of Şanlıurfa in Turkey on our way to Göbekli Tepe
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be”
#05 Not to worry too much, but a common thread ties sociopaths, novelty seekers, and risk-takers: the pleasure chemical dopamine. Certain precarious life choices, like contemplating leaving your job for an uncertain future, fall within this category.
You might be feeling crazy.
But don’t worry.
You’re not alone.
Thousands dream of a life of freedom, travel and adventure, but few make it happen. The key factor distinguishing those who don’t from those who do is mindset.
Once you have the right mindset, anything is possible. Climbing the highest mountains in Europe, biking across Africa, or, in this case, sailing the world – it doesn’t matter what it is. The point is, you want to do it so much that you will make it happen.
The right mindset is a superpower, more potent than money or the right skillset. While a functional person might struggle with 'things' blocking their path, a person with the right mindset will sail over them, focused only on their dream.
Between you and everything you want in life are ‘things’. If those ‘things’ seem too big or difficult, what you think you want might not be what you actually want. If you want something enough, these ‘things’ won’t be barriers, merely steps toward your goal.
S/V Mothership finding a secluded anchorage on Sardinia
Maybe you find yourself stuck in a rut, craving any change to reinvigorate your life. On the surface, you seem to have everything – a good job, a loving family, a nice house – but something is missing. It niggles at you as you lie awake at night. Your mind drifts in meetings or while talking with other parents at the school gate.
You may even find yourself staring at a computer screen lost in thought when you should be working. A sense of inertia permeates your life. You’d like to change that situation, but lack the means, knowledge, or courage, so life continues, as David Byrne sings, ‘same as it ever was.. ‘
Then one day, a work colleague disappears from the office, only to pop up in your Instagram or TikTok feed months or years later, living the life you always dreamed of. Are these people lucky, privileged, fortunate, wealthy, or just plain crazy? No, they simply wanted it more than you did.
They stopped pussyfooting around with job security, promotion, or status. They didn’t pursue affairs, entertainment, or fruitless pastimes, neither did they distract themselves with work, schedules, or inconsequential nonsense. They didn’t comfort themselves with the thought that those who strike out on their own to follow their dreams are somehow different. They jumped the hurdles between themselves and where they wanted to be.
They made the smallest yet most significant change in their life: their mindset.
According to best-selling author and marketer Seth Godin, what sets successful people apart is the ability to escape dead ends quickly and focus on what really counts.
“Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority of people who can push a bit longer than most. Extraordinary benefits also accrue to the tiny majority who have the guts to quit early and refocus their efforts on something new. Quit the Wrong Stuff. Stick with the right stuff. Have the guts to do one or the other.”
Or to take a more colloquial idiom, ‘Shit, or get off the pot!”
Darry passing a mule train in the jungles of Colombia while trekking to the Lost City
In our first year at sea, anchored off a Greek Island, my five-year-old son, Yewan built a quirky sandcastle for his plastic shark. When I asked him how he made it, he shrugged and told me, “If you want to do it, do it.”
There's no secret formula. If you want to do it, you will. If you don’t, you won’t. It really is that simple. Stick that statement on your mirror, notice board, or forehead. Keep the thought front and centre of everything you do from now on.
Yewan, is now eleven years old and still lives by his philosophy. In his short life, he has swum with sharks, hiked through the Colombian jungle, and sat night watches as a regular member of the crew as we crossed the world’s oceans. He strides confidently into city streets around the world with his brother and makes a surprising amount of money from busking.
Removing safe spaces and adding more adversity into life makes for happier, healthier, and more resilient individuals. As every sailor knows, time and tide wait for no one.
So sheet in and brace yourself.
Because the right mindset can literally take you to the far-flung corners of the known world.
“I may not have gone..”
This A4 PDF Poster is available from our Patreon site:
This Week’s Suggestions
Each week we’ll also be offering three little suggestion to nudge you along your journey. We know having family means you have a busy life, so we’ve kept them sweet, simple and easily actionable.
Incorporate mindfulness and meditation practices into your routine and reflect on your current mindset. Identifying any negative or limiting beliefs. Understand the patterns of thought that may be holding you back.
Integrate positive affirmations into your daily routine. Replace self-defeating thoughts with positive statements that reinforce your abilities, resilience, strengths and potential for growth.
View challenges as opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge. Understanding that setbacks are part of the learning process.
That’s it for this week. Next week will the the chance for you to meet another cruising family who have kindly offered up their insights and pearls of wisdom. The week after will be the penultimate module of Chapter 01 where we’ll be looking at embracing adversity and hitting yourself with something called the Keisakus stick!
See you next time.
