What Matters Is The Set Of The Sail

Taken, in part, from Jim Rohn...

"The same wind blows on us all...what matters is the set of the sail."

Do you like where you are right now in life? Do you like where you are headed? Do you know where you are headed? Is what you are doing right now going to lead you to where you want to be in a reasonable amount of time? Ever?

These can be hard questions. Or they can be freeing questions. They can be meaningless or mean everything, depending on the person. Like the wind, the same questions are put to us all...and like the sail, it's how we view the questions and what we do in response to them that really defines us -- not only defines our present life situation, but, more importantly, our future. 

The sail sets the direction. Setting the sail says everything about us. And because we can set the sail and because the same wind blows on us all, we can't complain. There are no excuses. Some might sail choppier seas, but we can all go in the direction of our dreams and we can all realize them. 

There are calmer waters to the right and to the left. There is familiarity behind us. The unknown sits far out in front of us. Scary. Risky. Probably rough. Few victories and lots of defeat initially. One thing I ask: if you set your sails to take you right or left, don't complain every year for the rest of your life that you never got to live your dreams. Also, don't tell other people "that's just the way it is" regarding life. That's just the way it is for you. Some people choose to sail into the unknown...and never turn back. They find the lost city. They get to see with their own eyes the land that doesn't exist. They get to live their dreams. 

We all have the wind. Sometimes -- often -- it encourages us to sail towards the calmer or more familiar waters, and so we do. And truth be told, some who sail into the wind lose their ship and some even lose their lives. But I'd rather lose either of those than give up pursuing my biggest dreams. 

So set your sail in the direction you want to go -- in the direction you want to take your family. Don't second guess it. Don't look back. And certainly don't turn back. What separates those who arrive at their dreams from those who don't is simply that once the former set their sail, they never waver. So sail into the unknown. Sail into the storm; I'll see you on the other side!