Focus & Stay In The Present Moment

Some of you sent me your intentions for 2021 – thank you for sharing them with me 🙂 

I noticed one common thing: a deeper spiritual journey so we can create more peace and serve those in need.

You are beautiful people. I hope this post will inspire you to keep going when times get tough and when the world around us is in a storm.

I’ve been following an Instagram account @Team_Malizia. It’s a sailing vessel named “Malizia” that sails the oceans and collects data for climate change scientists.

Malizia is currently sailing around the world in a Vendee Globe 2020 race. It’s a “solo, non-stop and without assistance race around the globe.” 

Let that sink in Solo. Non-stop. Without assistance. Around the world. Non-stop. In a tiny boat with two sails. No cabins. Just a cockpit.

I don’t know a lot about sailing… I just really love it. I went sailing with friends, took a few sailing classes when I lived in New York, and memorized all the parts of a sailing ship when reading Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.

I lead transformational retreats on a cruise in Croatia because there is something deeply transformational when you are out on the open sea… (important to note, we sail on a faux sailing boat with luxury cabins )

I’ve been fascinated by the videos that Malizia’s skipper Boris shares on the IG profile. Some days look magical – with beautiful sunsets and gorgeous, calm blue water. Boris smiles and you can feel the joy that sailing the open seas brings to him.

Other days, the winds are strong but just right and he beams into the camera and who-hoos as he shows his vessel foiling and rushing forward (a new word I learned – ‘foiling’ is when the boat lifts up and sails above the water’s surface, helped by the ‘foils’ on its sides).

But then there are days when Boris tunes in after bad conditions and shares how the Ocean tests his mental strength. He also talks about loneliness at sea (he’s been out for 60 days now) and the different emotions and reflections that arise.

As I’ve followed his outer – and inner – journey, one thought comes to mind: no matter what, he has to keep going.

Whether it’s cold or warm, whether he is tired or rested, grumpy, lonely, afraid, not feeling well, he has to keep going. No one else will get up for him and reef or raise the sails. He sails around the globe one day at a time. 

He keeps his focus on the course but stays in the present moment, taking care of the million things skippers have to do while sailing. (Including preparing food, doing repairs when parts and sails break in storms, AND posting on social media).

“It’s not all about sailing, mental strength plays a big part in a long race,” Boris said in a video just two days before he crossed the remotest location in the world, Point Nemo (where one is closer to the International Space Station in orbit than to any land on earth).

I have to admit, I felt anxiety just imagining a lonely human on a tiny boat in the remotest location in the world…

And my emotional memory pulled out some past events in which I felt like a lonely human in a remote location. When I felt unheard, misunderstood, during my dark times of depression… One doesn’t have to sail to Point Nemo to experience this.

For Boris, crossing Point Nemo was exciting. Through each moment of his solitary journey, he has been connected with his team. The racers do stay in a pack – although they are sometimes a day of sailing apart.

Strangers and followers post comments and connect with him, and I’m sure it makes him feel appreciated and connected.

Boris also notices the fish that swim around him and, when he is closer to the land, the birds that visit him. He radiates gratitude and always thanks his support team.

Of course, my favorite moment was when he recently thanked his life (and mindset) coach 🙂

None of us have come to where we are today alone. And everyone needs a good coach once in a while.

So… where are you on your journey?

Who is your support team?

Take a moment to thank them today (people who are closest to us and support us in ordinary daily tasks, often don’t get thanked enough).

Music

Here is a perfect song about support “Because You Loved Me.” I only have this video from a live David and I did in November.

It has a few wrong notes and a few missed words, but since my intention for 2021 is to ‘let my hair down’ I’m happy to share it with you 🙂

Coaching

Just go to my coaching page and we can set up a free introduction call.

We would meet on a Zoom video call for an hour-long session. As a certified coach, I guarantee strict privacy and a safe non-judgmental space.

You might also like…

CONNECT WITH ME