Summertime on Lake Michigan is pure heaven!  The beaches, the sunsets, the boats - there's a post card in the making at every turn.  I especially love the myriad sailboats that ply our water; they remind me of graceful butterflies skimming the summer blooms. 

While enjoying all of this the other day, it occurred to me that those beautiful sailboats are really metaphors for finding and exercising courage. 

First, examine the rigging.  Before even leaving the dock, a sailor checks the ropes, the wires, the masts and the sails.  The same should be true in our lives.  Knowing your strengths and how to capitalize on them ahead of time enhances your courage.

Next, get comfortable with the rudder.  It's what steers the boat.  So what steers yours?  Like knowing your strengths, you also have to know what drives you.  That's where you'll find your greatest courage.

Third, determine the eye of the wind.  That's the direction from which the true wind is blowing.  In our world, it's figuring out what you really want, both on a small scale and in the larger scheme of things.  Determining your goals ahead of time also determines how much courage you're going to need to achieve them.

Fourth, become proficient at tacking.  Sometimes the direction a sailor wants to go is into the wind.  Tacking is sailing on short alternate courses so that the wind is first on one side of the boat, then on the other.  Likewise, sometimes to get to a large goal, we have to succeed at small ones first.  Not only does this get us closer to the prize, but small successes fortify our courage.

Finally, always be ready to come about.  Sailors have to be adept at changing course.  We land lubbers do as well.  Not everything is going to fall into place as we hope or plan, and contrary to popular opinion, there is no sin in changing course.  (Even Abraham Lincoln failed in business, couldn't get into law school and lost numerous elections before becoming one of America's most revered presidents.)

I'm not a sailor; not yet anyway.  But it's on my short list of goals.  And while knowing the terminology will be useful to achieve that goal, using these metaphors helps me navigate the waters of everyday life.  I hope they work for you too!