One thing that I’ve tended to notice about cruisers – that is, the people who are actually out there and going places and experiencing new things – is that they tend to say YES.
Not just to the idea of cruising, but to everything. They find ways to make things happen, rather than assume things can’t work.
Case in point: a few weeks ago, Dave and I met a new friend, a former boat captain now starting a boat management company. I invited him over for tacos on Christmas Eve. His reply: “Yes, if I can bring my mom along.” Not “no, my mom will be here.” Of course his mom was welcome!
Years ago, anchored in Bahia del Sol, El Salvador, friends put together a several-day group trip to tour the area and asked us to go along. “Sure, if our dog can come along!” Rather than assuming that a dog wouldn’t be welcome, we asked. It was no problem – the van and the hotels were all perfectly happy to have her.
But it’s not just going places where YES is so powerful. It’s an entire mindset. Repair something I’ve never tried before? “Of course. There’s gotta be a good YouTube video on it.” Cook prime rib in a boat kitchen? “Sure, I can brown it on the grill and then roast it in the oven.”
The trick is to not assume that something can’t happen, but rather look for ways that it can. Nica tells a great story in one of our early podcasts about a time when her kids were young and the family wasn’t using their boat much. What started as a discussion of possibly adding air conditioning so they’d at least spend more time aboard, albeit at a dock, turned into a discussion of how they could take the kids and cruise the Bahamas for a year. Instead of lamenting why they couldn’t go, they started looking for ways around the difficulties.
Start with the word YES. Assume that anything is possible. And then make it happen.
By the way, we have several events coming up to help you say yes. Find them all on our new Events page. Included are the AGLCA (Loopers) Winter Rendezvous and Capital Boat School at the DC Boat Show at National Harbor.
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