No is one of the most powerful words for a cruiser.
NO . . .
. . . I don’t need that extra piece of equipment to maintain (or pay for!)
. . . That’s not the right boat for me/us
. . . I don’t need more provisions; I can buy food where I’m going
. . . need to spend money on frivolous things
. . . I don’t need 14 pairs of shoes
. . . I’m not heading out with that weather forecast
While I strongly believe in saying “YES!” to all sorts of new adventures, NO is an equally good word for keeping you on track.
Perhaps it’s the pre-cruising years when you’re building a cruising kitty. Or when you’re buying your boat. How about when you’re planning upgrades? Or when you’re deciding “little” things such as how many provisions or spares you need. It’s good not to just automatically say “yes.”
Our society has conditioned us to say yes. It’s the word to get along. It’s easy to get into the habit. But when you mix in a few “no’s” you take control of the situation. Saying “no” on occasion means that you’re thinking your decisions through.
So many times, when confronted with a negative, I’ve ended up with a far better solution to a situation than what I originally envisioned. Saying “no” to one thing opens up room for something else.
“No” doesn’t have to be an ending point. It can be the start of something even better.
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