Sailing rough waters without a compass....

When was the last time you sailed through rough waters?

Sometimes such an adventure can be fun, other times it can be very stressful and draining. I guess the important thing is not to lose your sense of direction, navigate the unfriendly waters in a way that you survive and come out of the experience not badly bruised and hurt.

Sometimes when we are sailing unfriendly waters, we feel lonely, frustrated and irritated. There are many days we are surrounded by dark clouds, thunderstorms and hurricanes and we feel like we have lost our sense of bearing and keep going in circles.

The most annoying thing is that we know we are going in the wrong direction and do not seem to find the compass that can show us the right way.

And it is in these moments that our worse nightmares come true because we get caught in a downward spiral and in a web of negativity.

So how to can one change the trend? What can we do to take off the blindfold so that we find the compass and get back in the groove?

I am not going to suggest to check out the self-help section on Amazon, rather to start looking in your heart, go back to your vocation and passion.

Here is what happened to me. The other day, I was lucky enough to do something that I really enjoy..... I had the pleasure of sharing something I care about and really believe in with a group of people who were craving to learn and achieve something big.

Thanks to this rewarding experience, I realized that the compass was always there and that I was looking for it in the wrong place. I was so caught in the downward spiral that I was unable to see the walls which I could use to crawl back up.

This little miracle made me realize that one should never ever:

• stop pursuing one's vocation
• self censor oneself
• let the negativity and the meanness of mediocre and insecure people bring you down

A good friend of mine, recently told me, "when people want to shoot down your achievements, take it as an honor."

I must admit, only yesterday I really understood the wisdom of this statement.

So what did sailing rough waters without a compass teach me?

I learnt that in these moments there is no need to panic. You have to remember that the compass is in your heart. You need to find your vocation and pursue exactly that, as that is your strength.

I also learnt that one's convictions, principals, values, reasoning and logic can threaten the people around you, and thus as a result they go out of their way to make you become the person you are not.

So the best thing to do is to be true to yourself. Be the real and genuine person that you are.

My biggest take home message is to be true to yourself.... When you see you are falling into a downward spiral, stop, search in your heart and find the one thing you are most passionate about and that gives you most satisfaction and do exactly that.

Last but not least, honor yourself and never let the negativity and envy of others bring you down. You are million times more stronger than them and also worth million times more than them.

Remember, those of us who are true to our convictions, values will never ever sail rough waters without a compass!!!!