PYA SUPPLEMENT – SPRING / SUMMER 2014 Leaving the industry: life after yachting for interior crew By Isobel Odendaal How a PYA GUEST Training Provider went from sea to shore accuse me of being slightly hypocritical, because I did not entirely leave the industry when I opened a Yacht Steward/ess school, but adjusting to life back home is full of every day challenges; no matter what you set out to do – paying bills (what do you mean I have to buy my own toiletries, food, medical insurance and work uniform?), having to drive to work, not earning the same lucrative salary, not being able to buy everything I desire due to new financial responsibilities, missing the adrenaline rush just before a busy charter season, reacquainting your family and friends after being away for many years, not being surrounded by people 24 hours a day – and just the all-in-all normality of everyone and everything around you. PYA GUEST INTRODUCTION COURSE: WHAT IS YOUR MISSION? Before you leave yachting, it is very important to establish a goal, a vision and a mission. Mission: A personal mission statement provides clarity and gives you a sense of purpose. It defines who you are and how you will achieve success in your new career. Vision: Create or revise the personal vision you have for your life and career after yachting. A compelling vision can help you succeed, be more satisfied with your life, and get the most out of your mentoring relationships. It is vital that you craft your own personal vision for your life and career. A powerful vision can help you succeed far beyond where you’d be without one. That vision can propel you and inspire those around you to reach their own dreams. In a nutshell, your personal vision is what you want to be, do, feel, think, own, associate with, and impact by some date in the future. Your vision is the means of successfully achieving your mission Goal: A personal goal statement is a specific plan of action a person plans to take in one or more areas of their life. Every goal statement must start with a clearly written goal. That goal must address an actionable and measurable change that you want to make. The more specific and measurable your goals are, the easier they tend to be to achieve. I was sitting on a tender with a South African friend who was taking me back to the yacht I was employed on at the time. We Plan of Action: A personal goal statement must have a clear plan were at anchor, awaiting the Dock Express to Fort Lauderdale. of action. The point of a personal goal statement is to evaluate That was the day I first put my dream into words… I told my and transform areas of your life so it matches your potential. For friend that I was going to open a Steward/ess training school in many, this equates taking ‘stock’ of your life and then writing South Africa after I finished my career on yachts. down troubled areas and assigning solutions to correct them. I always explain to friends and family that yachting is an regular intervals (maybe once every 3 months). Evaluate what finally say: ‘I will not return to yachting again’. Some of you might 144 Personal goal statements can be written down and updated at addiction and it took me about two years after leaving before I could actions have been taken and how effective they have been. YACHTING MATTERS & THE YACHT OWNER / PYA SUPPLEMENT ISSUE 26