Saturday, December 17, 2021
Last week I was in Mumbai for a team onsite and I took part in several activities to push myself out of my comfort zone. That’s what on-sites are all about. Right? People who know me well can vouch for the fact that I am scared of water sports, partly because I identify myself as an acquaphobic and partly because I think sitting by the sea side with your favourite book is a better experience as compared to going into the water, which always has a risk of drowning. But can you believe what “pushing yourself out of the comfort zone“ led to? I DID SAILING! Yup that’s me in the picture showing off my teeth like I am the CEO of the worlds best toothpaste. And not once, I sailed twice! And the pictures are a proof that I didn’t do it just for the sake of doing it but I ENJOYED sailing. Here are a few lessons that I learned and would love to share!
Water doesn’t care if you have dollars in your pocket or rupees. It doesn’t care if you are 7 feet or 5 feet. It doesn’t matter if you are smart or dumb. It doesn’t matter if you are hungry, thirsty or uncomfortable. Water doesn’t care, it simply exists! Water can be wonderful and lethal at the same time. It depends on the sailor how they interpret the signals and act along. If the judgment is wrong, water punishes the sailor otherwise gives a solid push.
Some never get to experience the joy of sailing, but for those who do inevitably fall in love with the sport. The wind in your face, the smell of fresh air, the dips and the rebounds of the boat rejuvenate the human spirit.
“A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind.” – Webb Chiles
Sailing teaches you that the path from A to B is never linear. If your desired endpoint is upwind, you have to navigate to an alternative point for a length of time before pointing back to your goal—this is called as tacking. In simpler terms, tacking basically means changing the course of your boat. There’s another term called as gybing which helps you change the course of the boat. The difference here being that gybing is done while in the direction of wind.
As Robert Frost famously wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” In sailing, often taking the course less traveled results in winning the race. Such strategic planning in life or career offers the same effect.
Sailing tests your patience and your observational skills. While sailing one needs to be observant of the wind, keep the ears open and listen where the wind is coming from. Remember wind is the medium, and in order to win the race it is important to identify the direction of wind. If during a race you fail to accurately judge a wind shift or fail to adjust promptly, you may lose the track, or worse, the boom (bottom of sail) can swing around violently and knock into the crew. And alas! Like every sport, it is not the captain who wins, but the entire crew. There is no “I” in a team. The team must work together in unison to properly sail the boat in a quick and precise manner. Remember the mantra, cooperation is better than competition.
See you on Saturday, until then have a great weekend :)
Cheers!
Some things that you may find interesting-
Article: From "Hello World" to Bitcoin Core
Video: The Big Misconception About Electricity
Podcast: The Joe Rogan Experience - Philip Goff
Song I am listening to: All of Me by John Legend
Thought of the week: “Every day, do something you’re a bit scared of doing, you will naturally grow.”
Here are the last three posts if you were too occupied to read them: