Sailing is considered one of the hardest disciplines to master due to the external factors you cannot control. Navigating the waters of self-discovery are no different! External influences play a significant role and they can be a hazard or a valuable resource. So what external forces impact your day-to day life? I know working a 50+ hour week impacts me positively and negatively; I have more money than expected, however I have less time for the other areas of my life. I can be so busy at work, that I feel a sense of impact and achievement, purpose even; and then on the flipside I am so tired I have nothing left to give at home to family and friends.

Under the Weather

Maybe it is because I am British that I love to talk about the weather. Maybe it is because I’m a sailor and I consider it one of the most important factors I consider before sailing, especially in the UK. Perhaps it is because growing up under the African sun, I begged my parents to send me back because I hated waking up in the dark and coming home in the dark at school – I genuinely thought I has seasonal affective disorder (SAD),when we immigrated to the UK. Ever woken up and heard the rain battering against the window and thought “Urgh – I just want a duvet day today!” I know I did for years, every winter. I consider weather an external environmental factor that affects us all.

Our earth’s weather system is so complex, and yet we have ways to know [for the most part] what is coming thanks to the prevailing winds driving the system! Utilising weather reports, instruments, and understanding weather systems. We can also choose the weather we want to experience! Its why the snow bunnies amongst us take skiing holidays, to get the best powder. The (fair-weather) sailors head to the Med and the Caribbean in the respective summers for sun and fun! There is no guarantee that the weather will be constant, however for the majority of the time it is as expected.

The beauty of the weather in our personal growth, is that we can establish the prevailing winds that routinely impact our day-to-day life. We discover what to expect, giving us the upper hand to be prepared when our expectations are not met. Journaling about the pressures you experience will help you weather any unpredictable weather patterns (life situations) that could lead to overwhelm or stress.

Out of Your Depth

I once was on a yacht that ran aground. To say we were out of out depth, was literally an understatement. Thankfully, while preparing dinner down below, despite sliding from the one end of the boat to the other with a tray of red hot sausages and boiling fat I was appropriately dressed, and did not burn or scar myself. Had I not been, being out of enough water, could have scarred me permanently and needed medical evacuation. Other places I have felt out of my depth is in the office, briefing senior leadership on a project I took over during maternity cover. I wasn’t familiar with the actors, aspects and KPIs let alone the subject matter. Working with my peers though I got through that too.

Self-discovery is uncomfortable. Understanding your thoughts and emotions is the foundation, the seabed if you will, of personal growth. Being out of your depth is basically being outside of your comfort zone! Your comfort zone and the emotions and thoughts most familiar to you and your life. They are established in our early years, and your personal growth journey is literally uncharted waters! Thinking you might run aground, is terrifying and costly! Therefore I truly appreciate the fear, the overwhelm, the stress, the hesitation to keep going forward into the unknown.

Knowing the depth of water allows you to anchor safely. You can pick your spot, calculate enough chain, avoid a collision swing if the wind changes, and, stop where you intend to. In actual uncharted waters, there are many ways to establish depth; and on our journey we measure in the same way – we record and measure , frequently. Tracking your mood and what is associated to that feeling and how you respond to the feeling is the easiest way to begin to understand the depth of your emotions and thoughts.

Tide Ebb and Flow

Geoffrey Chaucer said: “Time and Tide wait for no man“. Time ticks on regardless of what you need to do and the tide ebbs and flows, they are true to their sole purpose. Absolutely nothing get in the way of them fulfilling their mission. If you have been with me on the blog, it should come as no surprise that there is more to the tide than its ebb and flow. It too is influenced by the external environment, and depending on the geography is more and less noticeable. What is relevant is how the current is affected by the surrounding geography! The strength of the current can carry you to the front of the fleet in a race and just as easily pull you out to sea in rip tide.

Once during my training on the Solent, the world renowned waters on the southern coast of England, I was tasked with a destination to the west. I was very conscious the tide was against me and slowing me down and that it was about to turn. After some more math I briefed my crew and we continued along on our way. The wind wasn’t in our favour for a long reach from A to B, other vessels and land (!) had to be avoided, so it was a continual adjustment exercise with the sails, steering and navigating. That resulted in us not being where I planned when the tide turned! The fear of becoming a ship wreck, endangering life and being the person responsible for the loss of hundreds and thousands of pounds became very real in an instant! As a skipper in training I had to step up and direct my crew and fight the urge to fix the problem myself! I had to maintain awareness of our position, adapt to the results of the solutions I was trying and keep calm to instil confidence in my crew. It still remains the sharpest learning curve in real-time on a boat for me.

Our ability to adapt to the current, something we cannot control or see whether in and ebb or flow, for me is all about our mindset. Had I chosen to focus on fixing the danger we faced myself, I am almost certain the outcome would not have been relief and safe arrival at port. The current was not going to bend to my will and whisk us into safe waters, I had to get us into safe waters. I had to maintain situational awareness to understand how my adjustments were affecting our position and course. And so it is with ourselves. The ability to focus on the things we can control when adversely affected by external ones control is the power to harness the effectiveness of our decisions and actions and move in the direction we desire.

Meditation helps us quiet the inner panic and anxiety the external currents of our lives. Knowing our triggers and working on them means that even when caught off guard, we are not swept out to sea helpless and at the mercy of the current. In that emergency situation, we have clarity and can access our resources to get underway, safely, again.

There is no doubt that environmental awareness helps us on our journeys, it may appear as a nemesis, however, I encourage you to see it as a worthy adversary instead. Use it to your advantage, your growth. For as your harness the power of the weather and tide, and, you discover uncharted waters, you expand your competence and experience, inspiring yourself to keep going.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope this severed you. Please let me know what you thought, share your insights in the comments.

Fair winds, KAxx