Welcome to Take on life. The blog is a place for me to share with you ways and people who take on life every day with passion and purpose. Join the mailing list or RSS.
Sailing Lessons in Life
Written on 25 November 2009 by Mark Lewis. 1 comment.During my Paralympic sailing campaign for Beijing in 2008 I wrote articles for my local newspaper. An extract from one of those articles conveys how sailing has taught me a few things to achieve success in other areas of my life.
Sailing teaches many lessons in life. If life is like a box of chocolates, sailing is a learned skill that helps you navigate these chocolate covered wonders. I have to admit, I don’t like the movie, but I have a yearning for some Tawny Port and dark chocolate as I write.
In sailing you must always be aware of the environment and its changing conditions. You begin to learn what to look for in a wind shift or wind velocity change. Developing this skill will help you in the ever changing business world.
Sailing teaches the importance of analysis and staying up-to-date with the market and future trends. Narrow focus in business will lead to competitors getting a new product to the market first.
In addition to environment awareness, sailing can develop teamwork skills and the ability to effectively communicate with team members. You can’t win the race and beat your competitors if you’re not a team player. Micromanaging might be an interesting theory, but it doesn’t make good in practice.
Unbridled inquisitiveness makes great sailors and better leaders. Sailing develops the curiosity of what others are doing. If you not curious about what your competitors are doing or exploring new approaches to overcome the challenges faced on the race course, you need to rethink your game plan.
Academics argue that unbridled inquisitiveness is important for any businessman, especially a leader.
The lessons on life I have learned sailing have been a strong influence in defining my leadership capabilities and entrepreneurial traits. Sailing represents a strong foundation on which my leadership skills will continue to grow.
Sailing has not only given me the tools to be successful in a career, it has given me the opportunity to realize my capability and potential.
What are the life lessons your favorite sport taught you?
Hello.
I'm Mark. When life gives me lemons I just roll with it.
Comments
Share your comments below. You'd be surprised of the value in what you have to say.
Mark, Great insight into sailing and life. I love golf, and it has taught me a lot about life. Some people are naturally good at golf, but even they have to repeatedly swing a club in order to perfect their swing. And even once you have got your swing down, a minor brain lapse can cause you to hook or slice your shot. Golf is a learned activity and it takes precise movements to ensure success. My life is centered around my business, and the longer I am in the game, the more I realize how important practice and precision is important for success in business - much like it is to golf.