Associate Editor Aileen Mack joined Dockwalk in July 2018. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. If she’s not at a concert or coffee shop, she is lost in a book, movie or a YouTube rabbit hole. Email Aileen at aileen@dockwalk.com.
When you can’t find what you’re searching for, sometimes you’ve got to make it for yourself. Second Officer Lisa Blackshaw of a 130-plus-meter motor yacht wanted to start off her day with positive actions that would work for her lifestyle, looking for writings on personal development, constructive habits, and morning rituals. All she found just explained how to follow an orthodox morning routine, but nothing that would help no matter the crazy shifts at sea or the time zone she woke up in.
“I downloaded The Big Book of Quotes and dipping into the inspirational minds of others really resonated; however, the pizazz was missing,” she says. “There wasn’t any narrative to it, so the quotes just floated around in my head aimlessly. That is when I knew what to do!”
“If you get into the habit of reading motivational quotes every day, they can inspire you to take action and reach for anything you set your mind to! Short uplifting quotes can go a long way.”
While anchored in a remote part of the Caribbean in March 2020, the world had entered lockdown and Blackshaw welcomed a distraction outside of work to focus on, especially during a time of worldwide turbulence and uncertainty.
“All the uplifting quotes I was curating really helped me through the first lockdown, which was shrouded in so much gloominess,” she says. “I made it home three months later with a manuscript and set to work on learning how to self-publish a book and share this Rise & Thrive lifestyle with the world.”
Between revisions of cover design, fonts for the quotes, and editing the prose in the book to maximize their effect and communicate Blackshaw’s intention, nearly two years passed by before she hit publish in November 2021.
To support the topics in the book, such as learning to say no, practicing gratitude, and recognizing self-worth, she scoured the Internet, social media, books, and publications for quotes. The more than 150 included quotes come from world leaders, authors, and philosophers. Each chapter is also filled with relatable examples to reflect and channel a manifestation of positive productive behavior, encouraging readers to set intentions and create good habits whilst eradicating bad ones.
“The reason quotes can be so influential is because they come from a place of experience, success, hardship, expertise, and perseverance,” Blackshaw says. “If you get into the habit of reading motivational quotes every day, they can inspire you to take action and reach for anything you set your mind to! Short uplifting quotes can go a long way.”
A daily dose of reading can shift readers’ mindset into a positive gear and encourage them to thrive for the rest of the day. However, even though the book was designed to be read in the morning, Blackshaw says some readers have said they read it at bedtime to motivate themselves for the next day.
There is a chapter in the beginning on how to use the book to get the most out of it, but she describes it as a “buffet-style” book — “browse what’s on offer, digest as much as you like, and resume to familiar fields or explore pastures new as many times as you need.”
No matter the industry, everyone experiences struggles that affect their mental health, and it’s no secret that the mental welfare of crew is compounded by the ever-changing challenges and high expectations of the job. The availability and access to support for seafarers has improved, and Blackshaw mentions how the consistency of a morning routine can help keep issues at bay.
A daily dose of reading can shift readers’ mindset into a positive gear and encourage them to thrive for the rest of the day.
“If we learn to look after our own wellbeing, we are much more useful to one another, working as a team and living harmoniously,” she says. “I hope that trying the Rise & Thrive techniques and creating a structured morning helps crew to manifest a positive mindset and develop coping strategies for the struggles of life at sea.”
To add motivating quotes to your Instagram feed and find out how to get a copy, check out @riseandthrivequotes; plus get updates on her second book with quotes for fitness motivation out later this year. linktr.ee/Riseandthrivequotes