It’s the Set of the Sail, Not the Direction of the Wind
“It’s not the blowing of the wind that determines our destination, it’s the set of the sail.” — Jim Rohn
This is my all time favorite quote.
I am a water person, I am always happy when I am close to any body of water. Hence my love for the ocean. Hence my love for island life. And this is my happy chair:
I recently read that John F. Kennedy said in one of his speeches that we, humans, have in our body the same percentage of salt that the ocean has. Our blood, tears, sweat are salty, like the ocean.
So we must all have a real connection with the ocean, right? Maybe some people are more attracted to the ocean than others. My personal feeling? Every time when I go back to the ocean, weather to swim, sail, or just watch, I feel that I go back home, where I belong.
Going back to the sailing quote.
A sailboat needs wind to sail. The sail is the structure made of fabric that uses the power of the wind to propel the boat. The set of the sail, which is under the control of the sailor, determines the direction of the boat.
So it is not the wind! The direction of the wind doesn't matter.
Each of us are captains of our own boats. We sail on the ocean called LIFE. Our destination is in our hands. The only thing that we can not control is the wind. Sometimes the wind blows us hard, sometimes it pushed us ahead. But we can use the wind in our advantage by learning. Knowledge leads to wisdom and power.
The main problem with us, humans, is that we get tempted to wait and wait for a favorable wind, instead of learning how to set our sails better. I am referring to the comfort zone and not taking action issue.
How many times you've been in a bad situation and you thought that "it's not fair", and hoped things would pick up? I got distracted like this many times. I was waiting for something to change, instead of taking action.
But I caught myself. I realized that I must step out of my comfort zone. I realized that I am the only person that have control over my sail. And I took action. Here is me now, where I wanted to be, on the top of my world.
My tool to fix my sail was in my mind. And that tool is my own philosophy towards life.
To summarize it, I believe that I can not control my past, but I can control my present, so I must focus on NOW.
The wind is always changing, so I must adjust the sail constantly. I must be aware and stay awake, like Buddha said.
What are you thoughts on this quote?
Excellent post.
Nice philosophical quotes.
And JFK is right. Our blood's salinity and PH resembles seawater.
so, in reality, each one of us literally has an ocean within ourselves.
Namaste, JaiChai
I love your comment. We have an ocean within ourselves. 🌊 🌊 🌊
It is a pretty good quote
I am glad you like it @talkingwiseshit 😊
It's right. The past has already passed, the future has not yet come. We can only enjoy the present!))
Yes, true, thank you for reading 💕
a like it..mabye one day a will be there to.
You will. Concentrate a little and be aware, the rest will come naturally, I promise you!
Great insight. So many times, people are waiting for the right moment to come along. We often forget that we have control of making a moment right.
Keep pressing forward and keep Steeming!
Yup, we get trapped into that comfort zone and wait for things to happen. Thank you for stopping by.
This is so so good. Yes no one else can help us in this, maybe can help to an extent but still we must be the one who set the sail of our life, manoeuvre it and set its course. Thank you for sharing such inspiring article. :)
Yes, the wind will always be there, to push our boat 🚣♀️It is up to us to make the ride smooth or rough.
This is excellent, Beautiful photos
Thank you, I am glad you like my pictures 🙏
I'm of two minds. Obviously I think that it is best for people to focus on the possible for their present and not what has held them back.
But on the other hand I think it is callous and unfair to pretend that the wind, or circumstances, have not played a part in each person's trajectory.
To maintain the metaphor, the wind may not directly determine our tack but without wind we're going nowhere.
Absolutely. We can not deny the wind. It is something that we can not change. 😊
It look amazing, I have never seen the ocean or the beach. I am visiting florida in a couple of weeks and cant wait to see it.
You will love it. I am happy you get to visit. 💕
I like that quote. The wind is important, but how we react to and prepare for it is even more so. As for the ocean, yes, I am compelled by it. I long for it when I've been away too long. I believe I have mermaid ancestry. :-)