The Power of Purpose

When, during my recent IAMI GUEST accredited Yacht Mental Health and Wellbeing course, I was looking at the correlation between crew retention and Mental Health and Wellness onboard Superyachts. I found myself once again wondering whether the reason for the high turnover, particularly, but not exclusively, in the interior departments of yachts is related in some way to a lack of purpose in the roles being
undertaken aboard.

We all need to extract meaning from the world and studies have shown that, although that meaning is unique to each of us, we all realize it through exploration, connection and creation. By understanding and embracing these innate needs, we can all lead more fulfilling and purposeful lives.

Let’s firstly look more deeply at Intention vs Purpose

Intention is a resolve or mental determination to do something. It’s about mindset and reflects someone’s specific plan or aim (WHAT they intend to do e.g. work on a superyacht), whereas Purpose is about the bigger picture. It is both personally meaningful and makes a positive mark on the world. It signifies the reason or motivation behind that action. In other words, it answers the question WHY? This
“Why” generally emerges from one’s unique strengths and interests and so will be unique to each individual. Having a purpose is all about finding what activities make you happy, while at the same time being able to use your natural talents to pursue them. Then, it’s all about getting so involved and absorbed with your passion that you completely lose track of time. In other words, as I always say to my own children… “Follow your joy!”

Exploring Purpose from a career choice perspective

Sometimes, we have to search for our purpose. The way to do that is to encourage ourselves to try new activities, take a class, join a club or group, volunteer, learn a new skill, start a new hobby and so on. A good start to this search is trying to remember anything you’ve enjoyed, even as a child or in which you’ve ever expressed interest, then go back and explore those things.

If someone, for example chooses to be a chef, it’s generally because they have a passion for food and cooking; a desire for creating wonderful culinary dishes; exploring new ingredients and experimenting with different cuisines. Engineers enjoy working with mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic and pneumatic systems (I’d HATE that with every fibre of my being) but combine that with a possibly introverted
personality, an ability to earn lots of money and being fed 3 times a day as well as having all your laundry done for you – and it’s not a bad way to earn a living – BUT although they may appreciate all the perks that come with being a superyacht engineer – and be doing work they enjoy, does it ultimately make them happy? Does it truly fulfil their purpose? If their purpose is to support their family, then the financial
box is ticked but where is the physical, emotional and psychological support for – and from the family during times of prolonged absence? i.e. only part of the ‘Why’ is being realized. Some of the above may well, of course, apply to Captains and other crew members.

What about the deck and interior departments? As an HOD (CO/CS), when the shift moves to a role with more responsibility and recognition and when a greater focus is placed on the management and leadership of teams, then one can hope that some sort of employee engagement and job satisfaction has emerged, e.g. positive feelings of achievement and pride when bringing out the best in a cohesive, high
functioning team, ensuring a safe working environment, ensuring the owners and guests have unforgettable experiences onboard, to accompany the individual’s unique purpose.

What about the about the more junior roles? If a young crew member – stewardess or deckhand joins a yacht with the intention of earning lots of money quickly and seeing the world – does that signify that they have a purpose in so doing? Not necessarily, they may just want to join the industry to have fun and adventure – and fulfil their “Below Decks” dreams. Can having fun and adventure be considered a
purpose?

As human beings, we are driven to find happiness and that reflects in all our choices (when we live in the free world) – whether it be the clothes we choose to wear, the food we choose to eat, the people we surround ourselves with – but what if in our quest for fun and adventure, we have some of those choices removed (living with crew members we don’t necessarily get along with, wearing uniforms unsuitable to
us, eating food we don’t always like and then couple this with doing work that we don’t necessarily enjoy, then are we fulfilling the purpose of pursuing happiness in a healthy way?

The same could apply, however to junior crew who join yachting because they are intent on earning money more quickly than they could otherwise in a land-based role, in order to start a business, buy a home, support their family, continue higher education etc. These are clear purposes – and arguably higher purposes for joining a yacht, BUT – does that fulfilment of their purpose necessarily bring them joy? Not if
they hate the oftentimes repetitive, mundane work, the challenging onboard environment and being away from home and so on.

Why Purpose is so important

Having a purpose in life is vitally important. Studies have shown that it promotes our physical health, mental health, and happiness. According to Time Magazine, purposeful living has been linked to a lower risk of disease, better sleep, and other healthy behaviours. It can also offer a psychological buffer against obstacles and help people live longer.

Purpose is a key to healthy aging, well-being and navigating life’s challenges, but I believe wholeheartedly that the key must be to clearly define our purpose and to achieve it in the most fulfilling and enjoyable way possible. Can we do all of that whilst also navigating the inherent challenges of living and working on a superyacht? I believe we can, with all the correctly applied self-leadership skills – particularly as it relates to self-awareness (see my previous blog contribution HERE).

Remember also that our purpose changes throughout our lives. It’s not a static entity which has to be aggressively adhered to ad infinitum! Purpose is about reflection and renewal and changes in accordance with our life’s experiences. Our purpose changes when we get married, have children, experience loss of someone close to us, experience serious health issues – and for so many other reasons.

What about values? What part do they play in all of this? These principles or standards of behaviour guide and motivate our attitudes and actions. If these individual beliefs that help us to decide whether something is good or bad, right or wrong are compromised (e.g. by drug and alcohol abuse by peers, yacht owners, guests: employment of prostitutes aboard: social, political, sexual behaviour of
peers, guests, owners), how does this affect our purpose?

Personally, I believe this has to be an individual determination and we all have choices as to how we interpret every situation and circumstance of our lives in accordance to a myriad of factors – which is why self-awareness is so critical. We must however, be clear about our own values, goals and boundaries in order to live purposeful lives. When values are compromised, trust is undermined, but can one’s individual purpose still be fulfilled with full intention? Perhaps a good topic of conversation
around the crew mess table!

So, if you haven’t already, make sure you find your purpose. It doesn’t have to change the world, it just has to engage your passion. Align yourself with people you trust, who share your values and whose own sense of purpose correlates in some
way with your own. If you have discovered that part of your purpose is to help save the planet for your own and future generations, for example, then perhaps seeking employment on yachts whose owner or management companies are also driven by this same purpose is something to consider…Or to seek employment with these companies when you decide to transition ashore. How much more enjoyable and purposeful
would it be to do even the most mundane tasks with a sense that in the bigger picture, you are following a greater purpose.