I set my alarm for 6 am today (Saturday, 17 September 2022) to bid my sister, Kala, and brother-in-law, Nesa, bon voyage. But my brain woke me up before the alarm. The excitement, joy, and a little anxiety woke me up before the alarm.

You see, Nesa’s lifelong dream was to own a boat and sail the world. This week he manifested that dream. He and Kala went to ‘pick’ their boat up in Vietnam and they set sail this morning for Malaysia. A truly momentous point in Nesa’s life. I wanted to be part of this maiden voyage, but work commitments did not allow it. And though I am not there I feel all the emotions they must be feeling. They are possibly feeling many more emotions.

This reminds me of the concept of our future self. We don’t often think of our future selves and what that means for us. What we dream and wish for ourselves when we are young takes a back seat when the pressures of life set in. But it takes guts to pursue a dream and commit to it until we manifest it and that is why today is a momentous day for Nesa. He committed to his future self and made it happen.

The journey to get here has not been smooth sailing. Pardon the pun. This is not a transactional journey. The real journey is an emotional one. The transactional aspects are the finance and operations, and they are important, but they are not the main components. The emotional aspects are everything else that goes into owning a boat. Who he had to become to make this day happen. That journey is an emotional one.

Financial sacrifices, navigating some health and global issues are some of the obstacles that nearly derailed this dream. He also had to emotionally prepare to be a skipper. Nesa has sailed on his friend’s boat before but only intermittently, and he did not have a skipper’s licence. He needed to get that. Kala on the other hand does not have sea legs and she needed a little bravery to be part of this adventure.

Thinking about being a skipper and being one are two different things. In theory, every role is doable until we get there and do it. As that reality hit him, Nesa had to appreciate the potential impact on this adventure and seek support, in the form of a trained and experienced skipper, Norma. That takes courage.

The emotion of acceptance, of reality, is a big one. Being brutally honest with ourselves takes courage. Acceptance may have a passive feel to it, but it is far from passive. To be aligned with our realities and to be in peace and serenity with it, is acceptance and it takes courage (another emotion).

So, this week I ask you, who are you becoming? Who is your future self?

When I ask people who they are, they rattle off what they do, professionally. But we are more than what we do. We are human beings NOT human doings. What are your dreams and who do you need to become to manifest those dreams?

For now, my mind is with the sailors as they experience their rite of passage on this all-new adventure that may pose some trials along the way. As they do not have a satellite transponder, we can’t track them. Which makes the adventure even more intense for all of us. Over to Neptune, God of the seas, to bring them home safely.  

They sail the deep seas into the unknown (new adventure), leaving parts of their old selves behind as they prepare to welcome their newfound freedom of their future selves as sailors of the future.

Bon voyage and Godspeed Kala, Nesa, and Norma! Can’t wait to see you next week.

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com