You’re the Boat: Charting a course toward a life worth looking forward to.

Attitude is like the rudder of a ship. Adjust it appropriately to get where you need to go.

The original book was published in 2012. Download it free from the library page.

This book uses the analogy of a ship to describe life. Attitude is our rudder. Our heart is the ship’s wheel. The mast describes our strength. The sail is our soul. That beautiful lady on the front of the vessel describes our face. We see what we need to fortify ourselves within the portholes in the “belly” of the ship: provisions, fun, and rest.

This idea gives us the power to self-reflect, which is essential to healing, learning, and growing into the truth of ourselves. This analogy introduces us to our Captain, a.k.a. our connection to the Universe. Standing on the ship’s deck (our awareness), tuning into our Captain allows us to see our whole selves within our body, mind, and soul.

Body, Mind, and Soul

Most people, myself included, were not taught to see ourselves. This idea gives us a template to recognize what is ours. These include the values of our moral compass, our daily thoughts within the ship’s log, the maps of where we’ve been and where we dream of going, and the sextant representing the working knowledge we’ve picked up through our lifetime. The heavy keel at the bottom of the ship teaches us to be grounded by caring for our responsibilities.

Thanks to the strategies of this analogy, I’ve used the ideas to build a happy home and a healthy life. Serving the greater good is a value on my moral compass.

I wrote this analogy into a book in 2011. I packed it with insights, including inspirational quotes and the original boat drawing from 2008. The chapters describe the ship’s many parts through four systems: guidance, logistics, propulsion, and navigation. Click this link to download the PDF and read the book.

How has it been going?

With assistance from friends and my husband, I self-published this book in 2012. The first week after publishing, I discovered I had missed some parts.

The System Check workbook includes this coloring sheet of the elements of the Boat analogy.

The bell represents our voice, encouraging us to pay attention as we communicate with our crew and ourselves. Our navigation lights remind us to show up and shine brightly so others see us! The waves of our challenges can be experienced within our eight boundaries: physical, material, mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual, temporal, and virtual. The deck describes our awareness within our body, mind, and soul. Every day, we need to “swab the deck” (clean ourselves and our home) and “run the galley” (prepare meals, do dishes, and take out the garbage).

These are just a few of the ideas for personal growth I’m compiling into books for people of all ages.

New books and classes

Today, I’m working on many new books to share these ideas. Currently, I’m working on the 8 Boundaries coloring book for little kids and the Systems Check workbook. I plan to publish in 2025. (read more about them below)

Let me know if you have a group of open, curious people because I offer in-person and video classes about the Systems Check or 8 Boundaries. Each class takes about 90 minutes and includes free handouts. Feel free to contact me at pambelding at gmail dot com for details.

I look forward to connecting with you.

Check out these new book ideas!

  • The 8 Boundaries coloring books for little kids, older kids, and adults. Like the lines in a coloring book, boundaries help us see who we are and who we are not. Each book has 32 pages describing the eight boundaries: physical, material, mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual, temporal, and virtual.
  • The Body, Mind, and Soul Book for Kids. This teaches children ages 4 to 8 awareness of themselves through their body, mind, and soul using the Boat analogy.
  • You’re the Boat: A Systems Check for Charting a Course to a Life Worth Living is a workbook for people 14 and up. It is an updated version of the original analogy, including the ship’s four systems and the new ship’s elements. This book includes coloring sheets and worksheets to inspire deep personal understanding and fun!
  • 365 Days Charting a Course to a Life Worth Living. This journal/daily calendar offers short writing prompts for young adults.
  • So glad you’re here! This beautiful lap-sit book looks at things babies can experience with their people.
  • The New Chef Friendly Cookbook This is spiral–bound and contains cooking tips and easy, inexpensive recipes to inspire young chefs to “run the galley” by building a menu and cooking for themselves and their crew.
  • The Deck of Awareness Oracle Deck and Guidebook uses the four systems of the Boat (guidance, logistics, propulsion, and navigation) and all the ship’s parts to help you chart a course to a life worth living.

I’m using the funds from my card readings and art classes to publish these books. Please email me at pam belding at gmail dot com and tell me which book you’re most interested in seeing come to life.

I’m very excited to see these ideas in the world, helping people to chart a course to a life worth living. I look forward to hearing from you!

xoxo Pam