How Fishing Has Taught Me to Keep Trying Until I Catch What I Want

In this series of posts, professionals reveal their best antidotes to work stress. Read the posts here, and then write your own (use #OutsideWork in the piece).

I’ve always said it is important to have both of your feet in one boat. Otherwise, if you have one foot in one boat known as work and the other foot in another boat known as a personal life, you will absolutely fall into the abyss of confusion when those boats start to go into different directions.

So for me, work and play has always been one. And I love both equally. 

I will never forget sitting on the stage of “The View” when Barbara Walters looked at me and asked, “Why are you always so happy?” And my answer to her was this:

“Because I never do one thing in life that I do not want to do.”

Now you may be reading that and saying, “Well, she has the money to pick and choose.” NO. I did not start out with money, as you know — and there was a period of time when I only worked seven days a week, 20 hours a day. I would do the Today show in the morning and catch a plane to LA to do the Larry King show that night. During my first PBS special, I flew 70,000 miles in one month — in coach — to be at every station who wanted me to pledge “The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom.” I could go on and on. 

But every action I took, appearance or book I made, talk that I gave, or TV show I was on, I have to say I loved every single minute of it.

But with that said, I play just as hard — and love every second of it as well. Over the past few years I have taken up fishing. Yep, you read that right. It has given me an entirely new perspective on life. Now when I am asked who I admire most, what comes to mind are all the great fishermen and women I have met over the past few years. The amount of information one needs to know (figuring out what bait, line, or hook is needed to catch a particular fish and then being able to catch it and get it in the boat) is just amazing.

From Eleuthera to Alaska, fishing has also given me endless hours of joy. When I say hours of joy, I mean it. KT and I will leave around 2 p.m. in the afternoon on our little boat — just the two of us and not come back till 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. that night. Sometimes people get worried about us. They say, “There is no way those girls are still out fishing,” but indeed we are. 

It does not even matter if we don’t catch anything, which has happened a few times. The mere fact that we are trying brings me incredible pleasure. 

I have to admit that I really am a far better fisherwoman than KT, but she still likes to tell me how to do it — and I let her.

Obviously part of fishing is the boat. To think that I now know how to captain a boat — and really know what I am doing and where I am going — is something that I never thought I would be saying. I am sure many of you are thinking: “What’s the big deal? They have staff to clean the boat and make sure it is perfect when they take it out.” Well if that is what you are thinking, you could not be more wrong if you tried. We also love working (playing on our boat), and we are the ones who wash it every single time we bring it in. We remove the cushions and make sure nothing gets mildewed; we are the ones who set the lines, tie up our own boat, and make sure it is secure in storms.

All the fish we catch, we eat. And again we had to learn how to filet the fish, gut the fish, and make ready ourselves for the meal. Our proudest accomplishment was learning how to get a conch out of its shell. It's hard, seriously hard. But easy once you know the trick.  

If someone said to me that I had to choose between my work life and my fishing life, I would have to tell you that on no level would I be able to do that. In my mind again, it is all ONE LIFE. 

What I learn in the hours on the ocean, I use in the advice that I give people financially. It gives me a real way to look at the world and to take responsibility for every action that is taken.   

What I learn in work also pays off in my fishing world. If I really want a deal, I just have to keep putting that hook back in the water over and over again till I catch what I want. If I give up, then I miss the fish or the deal — they both got away. 

My greatest advice is this: There is one thing in life that is known as the great destructor of all and that is known as time. There is only one way to conquer time and that is through love.

One thing I know for sure is this: Love, who you are, what you do, what you create, and who you surround yourself with — all of it is totally in your hands. If you are holding something in your life that you do not like, let it go. Do not be afraid. When you open your hands up to release that which you have been hanging onto, you will be amazed what will be sent your way. With your hands open, you will be able to grab hold of something new. 

Whether it is a fish, a person, a deal, or just a moment in time, your life can be steered in the direction you want as long as your feet are in one boat.