The diagram of the sailboat metaphor illustrates the concept of traveling from your current situation to a desired destination. YOU are the sailboat. When we embark on a journey like this, we bring along with us certain baggage that can be categorized into 3 areas:

1. Who and what we are
2. Potential pitfalls
3. Skills and strategies

When we compile these 3 areas and accept, plan, and utilize every component available to us, we will have greater confidence in successfully reaching where we want to go.

The who and what we are are represented by the water, steering wheel, and destination. The water is our current situation, the current reality of our physical environment. It reflects our mindset, attitude, and beliefs. What does the “water” look and feel like? Is it calm, peaceful, optimistic? Or is it bumpy, turbulent, choppy, dark?

The sailboat’s steering wheel points us in the direction we are headed. The direction we start out in is usually based on our initial life outlook and often tied back to our personal values. In which direction do we naturally veer – optimism or pessimism? Glass half full, or half empty? Partly sunny or partly cloudy? The “bright” side to our steering wheel is that it can easily be tweaked to head in a different direction – if the captain of the sailboat chooses to do so.

And then we have our actual destination. This is our goal; our dreams that we wish to be our reality. It reflects our “why” we are embarking on this journey. What is our why? To live authentically? Because life is too short? To be more satisfied, happier? To honor our calling? Sometimes we are not sure what our destination is, we just know that it is not in the current waters. That’s OK. That’s where a life coach comes in to help us figure all that out!

The next baggage category that we bring along includes our potential pitfalls: the leak in our boat and the weather. The leak is actually any obstacle that we may encounter, and it is often an obstacle in our mind – our fears, doubts, attitude, worries, stress…. Are we prepared for these obstacles? Do we have our coping skills ready to use, or an assortment of tools in our toolbox ready to grab when they are needed?

Another potential pitfall are those unexpected events that we cannot control, like the weather. These include illness, loss, natural disasters, or economic changes. Again, are we prepared for these events? Who do we lean on for support during tough times? What is our back up plan?

And finally, we all carry the baggage of skills and strategies, represented by the sails, our compass and the other boats in the water with us. Our sails are our strengths and our resources. What are we good at, and what/who are our resources? Do we have patience, determination, and perseverance? Are we skilled at problem solving, or creativity? Who are the experts in the community I can learn from? Where can I access resources to support me along my journey?

A compass provides invaluable information to keep us on track. This data is an important feedback tool that allows us to analyze and interpret how things are going. We can measure how we are feeling along our travels compared to when we started, are we feeling more positive, content, satisfied? If yes – wonderful – keep on going! If not, perhaps we need to make a slight change with our direction or draw upon our resources to re-evaluate our plan. Our internal compass is always with us recognizing the value of using it is priceless.

Last but not least are all the other boats surrounding us as we travel to our destination. These boats are our cheerleaders, our family, friends, and community that are all there to support and rally around us whether the waters are calm, or they are choppy. Lean on them when necessary!

So, as you can see, there is a lot of baggage that joins us on our travels from where we are at now, to where we want to be. This baggage can certainly be heavy, but it does not have to sink our boats. A life coach can help you navigate these waters to reach your desired destination successfully and safely. Visit my contact page and request your free discovery call today!