Inspiration occurs in unexpected places.
As I was riding the Underground in London, I frequently heard a recording that said, "Mind the gap." The gap is the space between the train door and the station platform. When people don't mind the gap, they trip and fall as they get on and off trains. If you don't mind the gap, bad things happen.
Minding the gap isn't optional if you want to live your dreams.
The most important gap in our lives is the one between what we say and do.
When it's all been said and done, will we have said more than we have done?
The gap between what we say and do is sometimes wider than the Grand Canyon.
Talk is cheap, fast, and easy. Doing is hard, expensive, and takes lots of time. The difference between saying and doing is the difference between heaven and hell, the difference between bogging down in Nowhere Land and sailing on the ocean of our dreams.
We spend our lives exploring the gap between saying and doing. Some people make the gap their home and never go anywhere. Others narrow the gap and step over it making their dreams come true.
If you are going to live your dreams, you will have to mind the gap between what you say and do. You will have to connect all the dots of your dreams until they actually come true.
Minding the gap and connecting the dots is simply living as if your dreams are possible and working each day to make them happen. There's not much talking, and there's lots of doing when you mind the gap and connect the dots.
The fastest and most certain method of closing the gap between saying and doing is summarized in a single word: COMMITMENT
W. H. Murray (Scottish Himalaya Expedition 1959) said it better than anyone.
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back.. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too... Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."W. H. Murray
Commitment is about minding the the gap and connecting the dots of our dreams.
Every day that we work on our dreams we are minding the gap and connecting the dots. Sometimes we mind the gap for years before we actually connect the dots.
It required eleven years for me to connect the dots on my sailing voyage around the world.
For more than thirty years, I have been minding the gap, but I still have not connected all the dots on my driving trip around the world.
Three great commitments have dominated my life.
1. Sailing around the world on my catamaran Exit Only. Sailing UNI
2. Driving around the world in Land Rover Defenders. Overland UNI
3. Changing the world one person at a time with the Positive Thinking Network.
My bucket list is still a mile long, and I intend to spend the rest of my life closing the gap between what I say and what I do, and it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to do the same.
If you are ready to close the gap, and if you want to connect the dots of your dreams, then it's time to make some life changing commitments.
When you do it, you won't be sorry that you did.
There is no limit to how good your life can become when you connect the dots of your dreams.
Awesome music video that captures the essence of what it's like to sail offshore in a catamaran around the world when conditions are less than perfect. David Abbott from Too Many Drummers sings the vocals, and he also edited the footage from our Red Sea adventures. This is the theme song from the Red Sea Chronicles.
Sailing up the Red Sea is not for the faint of heart. From the Bab al Mandeb to the Suez Canal, adventures and adversity are in abundance. If you take things too seriously, you just might get the Red Sea Blues.
If you like drum beats, and you like adventure, then have a listen to the Red Sea Chronicles Trailer.
Flying fish assault Exit Only in the middle of the night as we sail through the Arabian Gulf from the Maldives to Oman. And so begins our Red Sea adventures.
Sailing through Pirate Alley between Yemen and Somalia involves calculated risk. It may not be Russian Roulette, but it is a bit of a worry. Follow Team Maxing Out as they navigate through Pirate Alley.
Stopping in Yemen was just what the doctor ordered. We refueled, repaired our alternator, and we made friends with our gracious Yemeni hosts. We also went to Baskins Robbins as a reward for surviving Pirate Alley.
After you survive Pirate Alley, you must sail through the Gate of Sorrows (Bab Al Mandab) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The Gate of Sorrows lived up to its name with fifty knots of wind and a sandstorm that pummeled Exit Only for two days. Life is good.
Captain Dave and his family spent eleven years sailing around the world on their Privilege 39 catamaran, Exit Only. During the trip, the crew shot 200 hours of video with professional cameras to show people what it's like to sail on a small boat around the world.
The Red Sea Chronicles is a one hour and twenty-two minute feature film showing their adventures as Exit Only sails through Pirate Alley in the Gulf of Aden and up the Red Sea. The professional footage documents their experiences in Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, and the Suez Canal. It chronicles the rigors of traveling in a remote section of the world rarely visited by cruisers. Exit Only dodges Yemeni pirates, fights a gale and sand storms in the Bab al Mandeb at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The crew explores deserted islands on the western shores of the Red Sea, and learns to check the cruising guides for land mines before venturing ashore.
The Red Sea Chronicles also has outstanding Special Features including an Instructional Video on Storm Management that tells sailors how to deal with storms at sea.
And don't forget the two Music Videos: "The Red Sea Blues", and "Captain - Save Our Souls".
The Red Sea Chronicles is a first class adventure that stokes the sailing dreams of both experienced and wannabe sailors alike.
Join Team Maxingout as they sail through Pirate Alley and up the Red Sea
See what it's like to cruise on a catamaran before you spend a bazillion dollars purchasing one
After watching the Red Sea Chronicles you will be able to see yourself sailing on the ocean of your dreams
Although I like the feel of a paper book in my hand, I love trees even more. When people purchase an eBook, they actually save trees and save money as well. Ebooks are less expensive and have no negative impact on the environment. All of Dr. Dave's books are available at Save A Tree Bookstore. Visit the bookstore today and start putting good things into your mind. It's easy to fill your mind with positive things using eBooks. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can pull out your smart phone or tablet and start reading. You can even use electronic highlighters and make annotations in your eBooks just like paper books.
