“One day I’ll be General Manager – and then I’ll bring you on board.”
This promise, made by a young travel consultant at a Christmas market three years ago in the harbor of Funchal, marked the beginning of a dream. Back then, in December 2022, Antje and a colleague from the ship stumbled upon the folk band Amigos de Gaula between mulled wine and grilled sausages, as they were playing and dancing on the spot.
In a conversation with Helga, one of the band members, Antje made that promise. She said that the day would come when she would be able to decide which local guest band would perform on board Mein Schiff. And a few days ago, that promise was fulfilled. Helga and the other members of Amigos de Gaula delighted us on the pool deck of Mein Schiff 3 and danced across the deck together with the guests. Dreams do come true.
And that brings me, shortly before the end of the year, to a question: What are your wishes for 2026? And what are you doing to make those wishes come true? Because the second Friday in January is known as “Quitters Day” – the day when most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. Do you want to be one of the quitters, or one of those who follow through and turn their wishes into reality?
“The true price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” Henry David Thoreau
Since every wish costs you precious lifetime, wouldn’t it make sense to think beforehand about whether you truly want to achieve that goal? Because starting something for two weeks and then quitting is a waste of life energy.
You start building a wooden table in your basement and stop after two weeks. And worst of all: you probably get really upset about not finishing it because … (and here come the excuses) … you don’t have time. You don’t have enough material. You don’t know how. You found something more important.
What if this time you thought about those excuses in advance – and then decided whether you really want to start at all?
If you’re now shouting out loud, “Yes, I can do this,” then here’s my top tip for achieving your goals: Set very small goals. Because quick and easy wins create success habits. And success feels good. That feeling makes you continue and achieve even more success.
“I will lose 100 grams in the first seven days after Christmas.” You’ll probably achieve that goal after just one day. How do you feel then? Amazing. Do you keep going since you still have six more days? Of course. It was easy. And suddenly you might have lost four kilos after one week – a massive overachievement of your original goal.
“Wow, I’m awesome,” you might think every single day. And what does that do to you? It keeps you going. It lifts your mood. It builds courage. You stay in the game.
Antje knew that one day she would become a General Manager. When exactly? She didn’t know. But she took a small step in that direction every single day. And she enjoyed the journey.
Antje also shared something else with me when I asked her: “What is most important to be successful in life?”
“Four areas work together here. It’s important to have a healthy mindset – including consistent action, strong resilience, and self-care. You have to start doing instead of waiting for things to happen. Take responsibility for your own life and take action. Physical and mental health, a sense of self-determination and purpose, self-acceptance, and gratitude. I try to live the present moment mindfully and to feel joy. To consciously appreciate the small things. Nature is my playground. And I keep a daily gratitude journal.”
Maybe, as the year comes to an end, you’d like to write down in a small notebook what you’re grateful for this year. And while you’re already writing, what your own answer to my “success question” would be. Based on that answer, you could then define a meaningful goal for the new year – one that is truly worth achieving.
I wish you lots of joy and fun with that. Have a wonderful year-end, and we’ll read each other again in the new year. Thank you for your trust, thank you for your lifetime in 2025 – and keep shining.
