Everyone knows the drop out rate in the superyacht industry is high and that mental health issues are the biggest cause of this. Every boat is different & living and working together all the time is unique to superyachting and lots of people struggle to manage the pressures of this lifestyle.

You all know that when on boss trip or on charter it’s really tough going, long hours, high expectations & demanding guests, exhaustion both phsical & emotional happens to everyone. There’s also the the fact that living in close confines with each other every day with people with different backgrounds, ages and personallities can be fun but also challenging in many ways. Working under pressure people’s personality can change, & not everyones attitudes are supportive and this can have a big affect on crew moral. Regardless of all that you still have to share the same space or even the same cabin & interact with each other despite the demands of the job itself.

Mindset Affects our Behaviour

Our mindset influences how we behave, react and manage work and life so it’s important to know if something inside us is holding us back from being the best we can be. It’s a good idea to find out what that something is and how to change it. Our personality and background shape our mindset which in turn affects the way we handle this lifestyle and can be a big influence on our stress & anxiety levels.

It’s safe to say that life in yachting is pretty full of times when you’ll feel out of your depth or comfort zone. No day is the same, no boat is the same, living, your life on superyachts  is a totally different world to what other people do.

For some people doing things that are new or difficult doesn’t phase them, but for others these situations can be really stressful, and confronting. Some people like to bluff their way through life, but that’s exactly what it is – all show. Underneath there’s a sense of self-doubt & a fear of not being accepted or not being good enough. When it comes to doing something new or having to do something difficult, a sense of unease & dread bubbles at the thought of doing something that doesn’t fit in their comfort zone. This situation often sets off a chain reaction of feelings which we commonly know as anxiety.

How Personality & Life Expereinces Affect Our Mindset

How we handle life’s challenges, uncertainties, & uncomfortable situations depends on our background and our personality which in turn leads to how we cope with day to day life and is the differnece between struggling & overwhelm and  thriving & survival.

The terms growth and fixed mindset have a big influence on our attitude to life and how we see the world around us. If your someone who likes to stick with routines and things that are familiar, its unlikely your even working in the industry, but if your someone who loves adventure, is outgoing, willing to try new things, you’re in the right place both mentally and physically

Quite often people are a mix of both, which is why the drop out rate and mental health issues in this industry are so high. You may consider yourself able and willing but without ever being exposed to the extreme situations you have to live and work in yachting there is no way you can prepare yourself for what you will come across. There’s also the fact things change so much from boat to boat, no day is the same and staff come and go which makes it unsettling to think you might face similiar situations again and again.

People with a growth mindset are naturally positive people, they’re open minded, happy to take on new tasks, seem to blend into crew life easily and nothing seems to be too much trouble for them. That doesn’t mean it is, it just means their attitude towards these things is differnet to someone who’s more resistent to change, or anything thats new to them. 

Resilience & Growth Mindset

Growth minded people seem to handle stress & pressures more easily, and look very comfortable in their own skin. They are often good at problem solving, thinking outside the box because they’re  open to new ways of doing things. We know that being resilient is being able to bounce back from difficult situations, stress and uncertainty. Growth mindset & resilience share some similarities but are also very different concepts.

One is a belief system that can be developed through effort, learning & perservernce with a positive attidude, the other is being adaptable, able to overcome things and use a combination of internal coping skills & external support to cope with difficult situations.  However, both are essentail for personal and professional success & well-being. A growth mindset enhances resilience & cultivating one can be done through personal development.

Negative Fixed Mindset Traits

Some personality traits have a negative effect on our ability to manage stress and pressures leading to burn out, and generally finding the lifestyle too stressful. Those with low self-esteem may internalize negative feedback or setbacks, being overly sensitive to criticism or rejection and feel as if their being judged for their actions. A need for recognition & acknowlegment is often seen in someone with a low self-image because of their feelings of inadequacey or self-doubt. These are not ideal traits to have working in yachting because eventually you’ll just end up being miserable and unhappy or worse suffer complete emotional overwhelm.

How To Be More Growth Minded

So how do we go about changing this way of thinking, how do we change our mindset to a more positive one, to be more optimistic, resilient and growth minded?

Most of those working in this industry are a mix of both mindsets, being in such a challenging environment will test anyone, the key to becoming more positive is to have an understanding of who we are. This can be done in support sessions through my services by using my tailored SWOT analyisis. This will identify your Strenghts, highlight your Weaknesses, help you focus on Other coping strategies for success, and discover your particular Triggers specific to this industry. Having an understanding of these factors, is the way to improve, it’s a personal journey and one that is unique to the individual – perhaps not even something we want to admit to ourselves which is why support sessions are key to finding a way to help you grow.

You can always improve your situation, but you do so by facing it, not by running away. If we know what to change and how to do it we’re more than halfway there.  If we don’t fix the problem it’ll follow us where ever we go.

Raising awarenss and talking openly about this is one way to understand that stress and anxiety is caused by lots of external factors but there’s a big part that comes from our make up, our thought process & our self esteem.

it’s widley known that people who suffer less stress & anxiety are happier in themeselves. Having an understanding of what triggers strong emotions, what causes the most stress is one area which can be worked on.  The other is to understand our indivdual strengths & weaknesses & change the way we react to things, to be more in control of our emotions and feelings.

Support Sessions

If you’re interested to know more about my support sessions click here or look under services. You can also connect with me using the contact form or what’s app option at the bottom of any page.

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