Life after Yachting
I remember I was warned about the golden handcuffs when I started yachting. If you don’t see yachting as a long term career or if you don’t have a yachting exit strategy in place, you may risk being at the mercy of those ‘handcuffs’.
By KARINE RAYSON
Feeling stuck and thinking "I can’t do this anymore"
Three years into yachting, that familiar feeling returned – feeling stuck and thinking I can’t do this anymore. I was no longer feeling a sense of excitement or joy in my work. I was 28, and I felt that time was against me.
If you have issues waking up in the morning to go to work, you need to be honest with yourself and ask if this is what you want out of a career.
I remember I was warned about the golden handcuffs when I started yachting. If you don’t see yachting as a long term career or if you don’t have a yachting exit strategy in place, you may risk being at the mercy of those ‘handcuffs’
Developing your Exit Strategy
My next career move had to be a strategic one! Yachting challenged some serious values of mine and it was the catalyst for my exit strategy. As much as I loved the adventure and my crew family, I knew that working on board was no longer my passion. I was seriously questioning my life’s purpose just like I did when I was doing PA work. It was then when I had my aha moment. If I am clear on what my values are then of course I can have a career that I love. I knew that making a positive impact and helping others had to be a non-negotiable in my future career.
Knowing this, I developed my exit strategy to make that dream come true. A life where I get paid to do what I love most, a job where I am my own boss and have the freedom to spend more time with family and friends and of course travel.
I spent the next decade studying and working in the most challenging professions so that I could be the best at what I do! It was quite the journey but well worth it as I don’t think I would be who I am today without fearlessly chasing my dreams. That feeling to reach your pinnacle of career happiness is priceless.
I want all yacht crew to experience fulfilment and joy in their work whether it is through yachting or through a totally new career; as such I have packaged my 10 years of learning including $180 000 worth of degrees into a 6-week program that delivers longlasting results.
If you are not happy in your job my tip to you is to listen to your gut and act on it, but be sure to develop a well thought out exit strategy. By sticking to my strategy it allowed me to have a life by my own design, I now can pay myself to feel fulfilled every day. If I didn’t take the leap into the unknown, I would be a victim of the golden handcuffs, I would still be stuck in a job I no longer wanted to be in and would be feeling a great sense of disappointment and unhappiness.
Looking back by enacted on my yachting exit strategy, everything unfolded perfectly just the way I wanted it to.
Questions to ask yourself if you are feeling unsure or stuck:
- Do I feel a sense of joy and pride in what I do?
- Are my contributions valued?
- Is your superior supporting you in your professional growth?
- Is your work positively challenging you?
- Have you become too complacent in your role?
Is your job having a negative impact on your personal life? - Are you feeling burn out, emotionally and physically exhausted or constantly stressed?
- Does the role support your long term career goals?
Is there something getting in the way of you making the next career move? If so is there evidence to support your reasons?
