I Promised You Adventure...

And adventure we will have.

We're gathered in the cockpit as we sail away from the harbor. You can no longer see the breakwater. As you look astern, the wake itself disappears into the fog. You can only hear the sound of the water against the hull and a fog horn in the distance. You feel the movement of the deck under your feet as Sea Fever rises and falls with the ocean swells. You decide to sit down. The deck moves up and meets you before you are ready.

You think to yourself, "This is different" and you're right. Everything about ocean sailing will require you to be different than you were just a few hours ago.

We are on our own. There is just us and a new environment. Water, blackness and fog. We have no idea what kind of challenges we will face. And we are not going to turn around. Yet we are on course. We are heading for a destination. A place where there is freedom to be ourselves. You want this. To test yourself. To be different. To be fulfilled. To learn to be - Captain - of your life, your career, your unique enterprise.

Okay, wake up. Pay attention. Now that we're aboard we're going to create a routine. Sailing in the open ocean requires a great deal of consciousness, or you will die soon enough. There's only one mission critical rule. Don't fall overboard. And only you can keep that rule. I can't keep it for you. You must remain on the boat to get to your destination.

The simple act of getting up and moving to another part of the boat requires a great deal of thought and coordination. Where is the nearest hand hold? When is the next roll of the deck? Who is where? Who is responsible for what? Is my life line attached?

There are measurements to be taken, a course to be followed, sails to be trimmed and weather to be watched. There is food to be prepared and watches to be scheduled and manned.

You think to yourself, "Why did I do this, anyway?"

You know there is actually an on-line virtual world called "New Life". In this virtual world you can give yourself an entirely new identity. We can change everything about ourselves. How we look, the kind of relationships we have, the life style we want, the home we live in and the games we play. I'm told that many times people in this virtual world excel in their new lives. They become richer, more famous and successful. Their businesses thrive and their people do what they are told. Yet, mostly, in their real lives, they continue to behave the same as they always have. Interesting.

In the next twelve months, the duration of this cruise, I will, you will, we will do what ever it takes, what ever we MUST do, to reach our destination.

But first, what is your destination for 2008?

Below are 3 important questions from my friend Paul Kearley's new book MUST THINKING

Go Here to Buy Paul's New Book

I want you to answer these 3 questions before your first watch. (We are on a boat, after all, and we will be recording our progress every Tuesday morning for the rest of the year.)

Now. Lie down on your bunk. Turn on the new LED light. Enjoy the gentle rocking of the ocean. Smell the coffee and the great supper cooking for you. And answer each of these questions for yourself.

1. What MUST happen for me to feel fulfilled and succesful? (My Vision)
2. Why MUST my Vision happen?
3. When MUST my Vision happen? (December 31, 2008)

Be creative. Write in the present tense, like it has already happened. Paint a word picture so that it moves you inside, so that it touches you dearly. Be ready to share your answers with me soon. (You can email me at tvoccola@ceo2.com if you want me to comment on them.)

I can't wait to share mine with you.

Dream Big. Be Bold.

Yours on the Journey,

Tom Voccola, Captain, The Sloop Sea Fever

P.S. If you just can't bring yourself to answer the 3 questions, buy Paul's book. You really MUST get in touch with what you really want. Because:

'Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back is always in effect. The moment one definitely commits oneself then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material sustenance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.' - Goethe