In a sport as cerebral as sailing, there’s a certain psychological self-awareness needed in order to stay motivated while on the racing circuit. The sailor needs to understand how each event—each piece of their campaign—fits into the larger picture to remember why they are going through the campaign in the first place. It often helps to remind ourselves why we work so hard at it, whether we’re pursuing a major championship down the line, or just enjoying each race as it comes. Without genuinely wanting to be at a regatta and feeling that they need to be there, a sailor who’s been on the road a little too long can find their motivation waning and performance suffering. Keeping motivation up is just as important off the water, whenever we set a challenging goal.
