Course Correction

On our cruise to Alaska we occasionally saw a pilot boat come alongside while our ship was still moving. Pilot boats ferry helmsmen or marine pilots to and from ships. The pilot leaps from the small vessel onto an extension from the cruise ship or onto a ladder and through a door in the ship’s side.

Pilots are specifically trained to navigate the waters of harbors and places like Glacier Bay. Their primary role is to advise the ship’s officers regarding conditions. They help direct the course of the ship. Sometimes the pilot makes suggestions and sometimes he actually gives orders.

However, in most instances it’s not accurate to say the pilot is in command of the ship. The ship itself and the lives of passengers and crew remain the responsibility of the captain.

Coming to the end of the year causes many of us to contemplate the direction of our lives. Some of us make New Year’s resolutions at the height of this and then become frustrated at the depth of change required. We give up—quickly succumbing to our former way of steering through the waters of life.

Throughout your life you may take advice from various mentors or people like pilots who’ve navigated these waters before, but you remain the one responsible for your own choices and your life. In essence you are the captain of your own vessel.

If you genuinely want and need a course correction in your life, what would it take to get your ship turned in the right direction?

Perhaps you’ve heard of mini-habits. The theory centers around the idea that accomplishing a small goal each day gives energy due to the high success rate. (See Mini Habits by Stephen Guise for more info.)

My goal is only one word per day on my current work in progress. Ridiculously little, you say? You’re right. It is. However, I’ve always written more than one word. One word is all it takes to get the work rolling. Even at this hectic time of year I’ve been successful every single day. Accomplishing that simple goal gives me energy to do more. Several days my word count has been well over one thousand words.

You may be struggling to achieve other goals besides writing. Is it time for a course correction? If so, what small steps will you take to implement your desired change?

Travel Tips
For traveling well through life take stock of where you are now, then:
• Decide where you’d like to be by this time next year
• Analyze the necessary steps to make that change
• Choose one mini goal to accomplish on a daily basis
• Recruit accountability partner(s)
• Report your daily success in your agreed upon manner

Travel Light Humor
This seems like the perfect time for a dose of Yogi Berra’s wisdom:
• If you don’t know where you are going you might wind up someplace else.
• The future ain’t what it used to be.
• When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

I meet my goal everyday and enjoy the energy it gives me. After all, it’s only one word. How hard can it be?