No matter what came before, you can learn from it, set a new course, adjust your sails, and get underway again.
All you need is a worthy destination, a sturdy platform, an able crew, a chart of way points, and a fitting mindset to power your progress. It doesn’t require a perfect plan, a clear path, nor ideal conditions to make it happen—but rather it requires a compelling reason ‘why’ to set your course and a persistent commitment to action for you to make headway.
Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
I am here to tell you that going after a goal doesn’t mean that you always follow a straight line or that you don’t encounter stops along the way. Keep dreaming, exploring, and discovering new ways to reach your goals, even if it involves going backwards for a time to go around something in your way, like the fictional Captain Aubrey who drove his frigate Surprise of the Royal Navy due South to get around the Horn of Africa in rough seas. The real point of having a goal is to give you a filter of where to put your focus—a compass, of sorts, to help you maintain your direction.
If you don’t set a direction for yourself, then you become reactive or passive, just bobbing or getting tossed about where the wind and waves push you. The first chapter in my first book Be Unstoppable is all about understanding your ‘why.’ Why go through the heartache and the effort to pull up anchor, fire up your engine, and go across an ocean filled with all kinds of dangerous things? If you’re not truly honest with yourself on that ‘why,’ then you may allow the fear of the unknown to outweigh the fear of staying put or allow your efforts to sputter when the going is rough.
You can only steer a boat that’s moving under power—otherwise, there’s nothing for the sails and rudder to push against. When you choose a course and get underway, then you can take advantage of forces that would otherwise push you in different directions. It’s much like if you’re into Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, or any of these martial arts techniques. What do they do? They use the enemy’s force and redirect it back against them. It’s the same thing when we’re at sea and moving toward your destination. But, you can’t do that unless you’ve decided where you’re going and have taken action to put things in motion.
It’s been observed that airplanes most commonly take off against the wind, and that the fastest point of sailing is not directly from behind to where the wind is pushing you. If you set your sails and course correctly, it’s actually easy to move faster than the wind would push you. The physics that allow an airplane to fly are the same physics that allow a sailboat to travel faster than the wind. So, when you’re out there following your courses, remember that the path of least resistance is not necessarily the one that will get you to your destination sooner or most efficiently.
I’m not here to teach you seamanship and navigation, but I am offering lessons to help you accomplish more than you originally dreamed possible. Why is it that so many people will make a New Year’s resolution, and they won’t even make it to the end of the month? Number one, you have to set a goal to which you can really feel committed. Number two, you have to make a change in your pattern. Number three, you have to actually commit to it and take action. Number four, you have to be consistent. And, number five, you have to find a swim buddy to be committed with you.
My new Unstoppable Mindset Training Course will be the master class to help you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. As you work on your goals for 2022, remember that it’s not about “wishing” them into reality. Instead, it’s all about “working” for them—ALL IN, ALL THE TIME! BE UNSTOPPABLE Products and BE UNSTOPPABLE Courses can help you on your path to success. It is our mission to help you acquire not just the tools you need to survive uncertain times and adversity, but also to develop the mindset and actions required to thrive and accomplish more than you originally thought possible.