Last Friday afternoon, four of us took a sailing lesson on the Hudson, and it was amazing! I wasn’t supposed to go, but I serendipitously stepped in when someone couldn’t make it. I don’t really love boating, but as long as I can see land, my anxiety usually wanes enough for me to enjoy it, and this was so true on Friday!

We spent the first 30 minutes learning about all the critical parts of a sailboat along with some very obscure names—like jib and boom. This particular sailboat had an outboard motor (so we could cheat a little). The captain of the boat was explaining about the rudder and he said, “Remember, I know it’s counterintuitive, but if you want to go left, turn the rudder right, and vice versa.” Our minds don’t generally think counterintuitively, we must challenge our mind to think that way, right?

Think about what counterintuitive thoughts we could embrace that could help us succeed if only we would allow them in (yes, allow them). Failing is a great one! We avoid that at all cost, don’t we? But that’s exactly how we learned to to walk, talk, swim, ride a bike, and read—and we failed a lot along the way. Do you regret failing at any of those? Probably not, it’s how we got good. So as you captain your own ship, remember all of the counterintuitive things that can help you have a successful journey. Failing is only one of them!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth