Tales From The Lane
Living Your Best Life as Creative Artist
How Long Will it Take?
I often get asked how long it will take a person to shift their career. Usually, that conversation is within the context of choosing a coaching package. Do they need 6 months? A year? Can then figure it all out in 3 months? Of course, a “Career Shift” can mean so many different things, but in general, we as humans do want to know how long it’ll take to get somewhere. We want to know how long it’ll take to run our first marathon, to lose 10 lbs, or to memorize a new script. How long it takes to drive from Boston to the Cape on a Friday afternoon in July (the answer is eternity–you should leave right now.)
So when people ask me how long it’ll take to shift their career in whatever ways they want, my answer has a lot to do with sailboats.
About 15 years ago, I cut a picture of a gorgeous white sailboat out of some travel magazine and I added it to a notebook that nowadays would be referred to as a “vision board.” I didn’t do it with any sense that the act of collecting it would “manifest it into my life” I was just trying to find a somewhat more tangible representation of my swirling thoughts. A visual list of things that looked interesting to me.
Boats. I wanted more boats in my life. I wasn’t sure why, but the photo appealed to me.
18 months later, I randomly met a cute sailor, and 9 years ago (this week!) I married that sailor. It’s safe to say that boats are definitely in my life–this week more than most, as the bi-annual Newport Bermuda Race is happening, and I volunteer at our yacht club to help check the boats in as they arrive over the week.
And every 2 years, we all pretty much block out the entire week. I work the duty desk every day, Monday through Saturday, and we have no idea what the week will look like. Some years, we sit there as bored as the skippers and crew sitting in the windless waters waiting for them to crawl in on Wednesday. Maybe Thursday? Friday?
And some years, like this year, they all got piled up together somewhere in the middle and then came in all at once when the wind filled in on Tuesday and early Wednesday.
If you ask someone how long it takes to sail from Newport to Bermuda. The answer will always be…
“It depends on the wind.”
And I have a similar answer to people who want to know how long it takes to level up a career, fill their teaching rosters, or launch a new project.
Because while it might not depend on the wind, specifically, for us, these things do have a similar element of the uncontrollable to them.
And as a seasoned (or salty?) sailor knows, there are also plenty of things you CAN do. Things that you DO have control over, that will help to speed things up.
So to answer your question about how long it’ll take for you to see your efforts pay off in real ways, I’ve put together Five somewhat clunky sailing metaphors for you to ponder about what you need to have to make sure your trip is as smooth (and quick) as possible.
1. A Good, Solid Boat That is in Tip Top Condition
A few boats this year had to retire from the race, and some even had to abandon ship because of mechanical failures. The sailors were ready, but the boat wasn’t quite up to the challenge. Steering failures, rudder leaks, and damaged sails let them down.
Likewise, for us, you can have great ideas, and be full of enthusiasm, but if you’re not in good shape physically, you’re going to get knocked down by the first cold that comes around. You can’t do good work if you start out exhausted or burnt out. It’s important to do what you need to do to give yourself that good, solid foundation. We want your body to be rested, your mind to be focused, and your immune system strong so you can just move through the work that needs to be done.
2. Safety Training/Knowing how to deal with sea monsters
The amount of forms these sailors have to turn in to me, proving that they properly trained their crew on safety features, all took safety and training courses, and carried all the required safety gear on board is intense. And we could learn a thing or two from them. Because 2 boats sank in this year’s race, and both crews had to get out of their sinking boat, get into liferafts, and then get pulled onto other boats. All in the dead of night, in the middle of the freaking ocean, in Very choppy water, (and sidenote, nobody is mentioning this, but there are things like sharks that live in that water). Every person was safe, uninjured, and now happily drinking a few rum swizzles on the yacht club dock.
While we might not be dealing with actual sharks, whales, and other sea creatures we do have our own monsters to battle when we’re attempting something like a career pivot, or up-leveling, or getting a new project off the ground. Resistance, Fear, and Imposter Syndrome, WILL make their presence known to you. And, in fact, are a lot more likely to appear than a shark in the middle of the Gulf Stream.
Do you know how to recognize each of those mindset monsters? Can you tell the difference between deciding not to do something because it was the wrong choice, and deciding not to do something because you got scared of what people might think?
What will you do when you wake up in the middle of the night thinking, “Who am I to think I could pull something like this off?”
Because you will. At some point, those thought disasters will happen, and you’ll want to have taken your mindset safety training courses first.
3. A “Yes, If” Attitude
From rescuing an entire 9-person crew and squeezing them onto an already crowded boat, to replacing a sick crew member a mere hours before the start of the race (the new guy had to have his passport FedExed to Bermuda to clear him for customs because he didn’t have it on him when he got pulled onto the boat!) and every moment of Just. Figuring. It. All. Out. in between, the sailors that sat down in front of me in Bermuda all had a great attitude about everything.
And it’s the same with the rest of us. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me that they have to shut down their project because they aren’t willing to get creative with their problem-solving skills. Some actual things I have heard over the years:
- “I can’t teach in my house anymore because there’s no longer free parking on my street.”
- “I can’t book this tour because I might be pregnant by the end of it and have morning sickness.”
- “I can’t pursue my dream of teaching at the college level because I don’t have a DMA/PhD” (I have several clients without this degree who are now teaching at the college level)
Now, obviously, if your boat is taking on water in the middle of the ocean, you abandon that ship. But I guarantee the Person in Charge went through every possible solution first. Obviously there are similar kinds of circumstances that you can’t Yes, if your way out of, but I find that many (dare I say, most) creatives I have come across default to giving up as soon as they hit their first snag. Don’t do that.
4. Acceptance of Things Out of Their Control
I have seen MAJOR international sailing races get canceled due to lack of wind. Literally thousands of people have flown in, millions of dollars have been spent on the event, vendors have been brought in, and television crews set up to air it live. And…..canceled.
And everyone just kind of accepts it and goes home.
You can’t control the wind. And you can’t sail a boat if there’s no wind.
Sometimes the wind is perfect, and it’s a sunny day with a perfect breeze, and both sailors and spectators have an amazing day. Sometimes it’s not like that.
Sometimes, you’ll luck out with your projects. Someone who happened to be in the audience by random coincidence wants to book you for their program. A celebrity was there and talked about you on social media. Sometimes that doesn’t happen.
You can’t control luck.
As an artist, there will be events that get canceled due to circumstances out of your control. Everyone misses at least one concert because a flight got canceled, or there was a weather event, or whatever, and no matter how many solutions you tried, you couldn’t make it work. It’s okay.
5. Have the Right Sails
On a boat, it’s the sails that catch the wind and make the boat move forward. Lucky for me, the sailor I married is also a physics professor and can explain it all to me in the finest detail, but don’t worry, I will spare you.
So while you don’t have any control over the wind. And you don’t have any control over your luck, you DO have control over what you do with it. How you leverage it. When you meet someone who is influential, kind, or supportive in some big way, do you just say “Thank you so much!” and leave it at that? Or do you make an effort to stay in touch and Invite them to your next event?
Do you have some promotional materials at the ready in case someone asks for them? I have a folder in my Google Workspace drive labeled “Executive” and in there, I have a folder that contains headshots (both vertical and horizontal) bios of varying lengths, templates for press releases, blurbs, etc., and my One-Sheet for speaking engagements. It’s all right there, so when someone says “Can you send me something?” I don’t panic.
So, as I sit here at my duty desk post, watching the boats come in and reflecting on the adventures they’ve had, I think about how it all mirrors our own paths to achieving our goals.
Just like those sailors, we face unpredictable elements, challenges, and unexpected twists. But we also have control over many factors – our preparation, our attitude, our resilience, and our ability to adapt. Remember, you don’t have to have the perfect conditions to succeed; you just need to be ready to make the most of the conditions you have.
Embrace the uncertainties, keep yourself in good condition, and always be ready to adjust your sails. Whether it’s a career move, a new project, or your own personal growth, your success depends on how well you navigate the waters, not just on the wind that propels you forward. Keep sailing, my friend, and enjoy the view.
You’ll get there when you get there.
Cheers,
Kate
P.S. My 1:1 coaching roster is full right now, but I anticipate having a few openings starting in September/October.
If you’ve been thinking about working with a coach to meet your life or career goals this year, go ahead and schedule a (free) 30-minute call now. You’ll be able to decide if this is a good fit and get a jump start on things with a few actionable takeaways to work on over the summer.
You can book that call right here.
Amazing how these principles apply across disciplines. My wife and I have been discussing sound production similarities between voice and trumpet.