Dear Sanya, I think that you would need to have a dream to see beyond the horizon, to find out what’s ‘over there’. This can be both the actual ‘what’s over there’, ports, peoples, cultures, countries, but also ‘what’s over there’ from a personal viewpoint of going beyond your comfort zone. In this way you expand your own capacities. I think you also must be curious and modest. Because these will allow you to seek other people’s advice who are specific experts in various areas (electronics, boatbuilding, sailing strategy,weather, etc.) and learn from them. If you are not modest, you will think that you know as much as they do, and you will not allow yourself to learn from them. And one of the most interesting parts of trying to sail the Vendée Globe is how much one learns about the myriad aspects of the race.
What is especially important is to understand that these qualities can be applied to anything that you might want to do in the future that interests you.
– Question submitted by Sanya, Delhi, India