How to Create A New Year’s Resolution
For Your Sailing and Boating Lifestyle
From Grant Headifen, Global Director of Education
It’s that time of year! When you think about it, the philosophy of a New Year’s resolution is interesting. It’s a self-permission-based timezone to allow ourselves the luxury to admit to ourselves the yearning for self-change and a timezone to plant a flag in the sand for action.
That’s a sorry state of affairs really – we only get to do this once a year? Why? BECAUSE LIFE GETS IN THE WAY OF WHAT IS IMPORTANT – THAT’S WHY. The new year is a wake-up call that life is going to continually get it the way.
This is evidenced by the surge of gym memberships and the busy gym for the month of January and then – Life Gets In The Way Again – but unknowingly (sort of – we kinda know that we need to keep the gym membership going but … well things are busy right now … so your yearning a month ago gets suppressed down where you don’t recognize it is there. AND ANOTHER YEAR GOES BY.
I have a personal story to relate that I’d like to share. For years now, I have been building NauticEd and it has been a busy time. The amount of integration of software with real-life training into a robust scalable platform has been a huge task. And since I’m an engineer by training – I’ve loved every geek-out moment of it! It was project after project – after project. And every time I was in the middle of a project I’d be head down architecting the software and testing it. I’d said to myself that when I finished this project I’d get back to devoting time to my health and fitness – but after this project. What I came to realize is that, automatically, new projects start in the middle of an existing project – and so I would find myself in the next project saying that I would devote time to my health and fitness – after this project. And so it went on for years. New Year’s resolutions, I remember, said “This year I’m back in the gym – after this project”.
All this above until one day my partner started going to the gym – she’s slightly OCD and kept going – then she said “Come on – come with me. You’ll feel better and concentrate more after the gym and your work quality will improve.” My geekiness heard “work quality” and that was all the excuse I needed. That was 2 years ago and 5 days every week at the gym for 1 hour. Guess what – I feel the greatest I have in years, the work quality is up – clarity is up – life is up. No time was lost and NauticEd projects are humming along 1 after the other. Now I can look back and can loudly scoff at what was blocking me – simply “life and projects” were getting in the way of what is most important.
The lessons learned here are:
- Watch out for false excuses and debunk them
- Find the desire, the passion, the motivation
- Feel the success and ride it – recognize it – scoff back at the excuses.
So Lets Talk About Sailing and Boating
There is nothing better than messing about in boats – and if you can think of something better you can do it on a boat (preferably while anchored, however). Read How to put more adventure into your life for some motivation….
So if sailing and boating is a passion then let’s talk about how to incorporate them more into your life and keep the “life gets in the way” out. By using the 3 bullet points above.
Watch out for the excuses
- I don’t have enough money yet, when I get some excess I will then get into boating
- Once the kids are off to college
- We have a newborn
- We are going to remodel the kitchen instead
- I’m busy at work right now
- We don’t live near water
Now debunk those excuses. You might have to put on your psychologist’s hat if you feel the excuses holding. Example – “I REALLY don’t have enough money now”. That is rubbish because there are free ways to go sailing/boating. A wise man said to me once “All excuses are equal – they result in not getting what you want”.
Find the Desire, the Passion, the Motivation
What is it about boating that you want? If your life was to end tomorrow, what would you regret about not doing? How is temporarily not going boating right now improving your life right now? (Be careful of what your mind thinks regarding the excuses above.)
Feel the Success and Ride it
Get out on the water and have a great day – just one. Wasn’t that amazing – the fresh air – the smile – the time with friends – nature – clarity. Did you actually lose so much time that your life will be worse for taking the time off? Did you come up with any clear ideas about other projects you are working on? Were those ideas better because you took the break?
Now, I’m no motivational speaker but I have read enough books and listened to enough audios on life to realize that my life is better for having applied what I learned in the books and audios. I say that to encourage you to learn from others about how to be all you can be.
A speaker I once listened to, Jim Cathcart, said “How would the person I want to be, do the thing I am about to do”. Meaning – you know what you want – now learn about how to get there.
The New Year’s Resolution
Creating a Sailing and Boating New Year’s Resolution is pretty easy once you’ve read the above.
Here’s the formula
DEFINE YOUR BOATING GOAL
Start with the end in mind.
- What knowledge and skills would you like to have?
- What experiences would you like to have achieved?
FINISH YOUR DAMN COURSES
Ha ha – and LOL. That was meant to be said in a nice way. It is something your wise ol’ grandfather would say. When you signed up we gave you two free courses. (Or if you are new to NauticEd, signup now and we will give you two free sailing courses or a free powerboating course) . If you have courses in your curriculum that you have not finished, just finish them. You’re reading this and so you know that you are at least somewhat motivated. What’s it going to take? We know it is not money. Is it the kitchen remodel project? The kids? Your boss? See excuses paragraph above.
How about get up an hour earlier each day and knock out a small module. Then take the win! Enjoy the new found knowledge – feel smarter – and feel closer to getting to your goal
BEGIN PLANNING FOR AN ADVENTURE
Maybe an adventure is just a day out – maybe a week-long trip in the Caribbean, Pacific, or Mediterranean – maybe crossing an ocean – maybe around the world (twice).
Put the excuses in a box and dream a little while. What would satisfy your ultimate thirst?
But let’s stay a wee bit realistic for a while – what should be the first adventure and the second?
Allow us to make a suggestion
While this may seem self-serving to us a little, regardless what we do really well at NauticEd is to enable people to reach their sailing dreams and goals in a realistic, safe, and competent manner. So our suggestion is to join one of our adventures.
What is cool about our adventures is that you can have no knowledge, some knowledge, or be totally adept at sailing yourself.
If you’re just getting started in sailing, come join one of our sailing flotillas on a “by-the-cabin” basis and learn real sailing – real adventure with one of our qualified American National Standards Sailing Instructors. OR if you have a group of friends/family, then we’ll charter you a whole boat, again with one of our qualified American National Standards Sailing Instructors. You’ll adventure and learn what you want – we’ll design your adventure experience so that it balances your personal vacation/learning desire.
For those who have some decent knowledge already and would like to up their game – again we can design the learning as you need and pair it with a vacation experience.
For those who are plenty knowledgeable and skilled and would like to round off their knowledge, you can captain your own boat on a flotilla or again join a boat with one of our qualified American National Standards Sailing Instructors.
PLAN TO INCREASE COMPETENCE
With NauticEd, we have the simplest plan in the universe to increase your competence.
To become competent in any area of life, you need theory knowledge, practical skills, and experience.
Theory Knowledge – we have a full array of online theory knowledge courses. Take them a-la-carte or in packaged bundles that are designed to meet your goals.
Upskill your skills with our global network of practical Sailing Instructors who are all qualified under the American National Standards.
Log your gained experience in our eLogbook. Enter your history of experience and then use the SailTies App to GPS track your new experiences. See this article on how to gain experience with out even owning a boat.
SO NOW, HERE IS YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION PLAN
- Finish your $%#^& courses – sign in here – and do one hour a day
- View our list of Sailing Courses and add them to your curriculum
- Join an Instructional Skipper Experiential Training flotilla or contact us about setting up an Instructional Training Adventure for your personal group –
- Visit our network of Instructors and get out on the water to gain some personalized training in your local area to complete a sailing certification through NauticEd
- Start getting out on the water and logging your time in the NauticEd eLogbook – sail with friends – join NauticEd flotillas – gather a group of friends and let NauticEd plan something for you.
- Once you are fully competent at adventuring, use the NauticEd Sailing Vacations agency to book charters worldwide.
Sign up with NauticEd for FREE (no obligation) and receive 2 free boating courses, a free eLogbook and boating resume, and more! If you want to get started in boating or are experienced and want to expand your knowledge and skills, consider taking our many online sailing and powerboating courses.
