Three Sheets to the Wind or Sailing to Success

We have two options in life. We can be three sheets to the wind or sailing to success. Let’s look at the first option. The saying three sheets to the wind has its origins in eighteenth century British naval terminology. Sheets are ropes that control sails. The amount of sail, the angle of the sails to the wind, and the position of the rudder controlled three-masted sailing vessels of the day. When a sheet is in the wind, the sailors have lost control of that sail. It lashes around in the wind, and the sailors lose control of their ship. Three sheets to the wind came to mean that a person has lost control of their faculties, presumably because they are inebriated. Today most people are three sheets to the wind and don’t even know it. This is not to say that they are drunkards, but that they do not have a clearly defined vision of where they are going. They are caught up in the day-to-day at the expense of their big dreams and then wonder why they are not going where they want to. They have no ultimate goal or destination, so they are pulled and pushed by the vicissitudes of the life and tides of public opinion.

Option two is sailing to success. There are three key steps to sailing to success that I will discuss in more detail in the following chapters of this book. The first step is to choose a destination. Literally: choose a destiny. Everyone is here for a purpose and finding your purpose is one of the most important things you can do. Think of the sailing trip. You must have a destination and chart a course. You might as well dream big dreams; in two to three years you can accomplish an itty-bitty goal or a huge dream. Have a goal or a vision you can be passionate about, something that will get you up in the morning. Each of us has a powerful wellspring within us just waiting to be tapped. You do not want to die with this life source still bottled inside you …

We have two options. We can wander through life with no purpose being three sheets to the wind, or we can sail to success. Within the pages of this book the reader will explore the latter option. A fully-realized life is like a sailing voyage – choose a destination, chart a course, weigh anchor, and set sail. Take these three simple steps and you will be sailing to success.

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