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Life's too short to play it safe

“My Gutsy Story” by Lois Joy Hofmann

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Don’t be afraid to go out where the adventure begins!

Lois Joy Hofmann

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.” Helen Keller

During the 1980s while living in Minnesota, I decided that I wanted to plan my life rather than being thrown about by external events.  I had always wanted to retire in San Diego.  Why not move there now, avoid the harsh Minnesota winters, and find my soul mate? My business partner lived in Arizona, so he agreed with the move. I began to set up clients in San Diego.

When you set out your goals, be prepared for them to be fulfilled in ways that will surprise you!  There are no accidents! You set the mission and objectives, with God’s help, and the strategy will take care of itself as events unfold to propel you toward those goals.

One Sunday, during one of my trips to San Diego, I hired a sailboat captain to take a client out for a day.  During a horrible accident, I was thrown against the lifelines; my liver almost split in two.  I was rushed into surgery. An internal medicine specialist, on call that night, saved my life. He warned me, however, that my recovery would take two years. He advised me to resign my clients and quit flying all over the country. “You’ll never be in that venture capital business again. Maybe an outdoor job, like being a mail carrier, will give you the fresh air and exercise you’ll need!”

I sold my Minnesota home, resigned my clients there, and moved to San Diego to recover. I hiked the trails and worked out in the gym, chocking up four hours per day of aerobic exercise. That cut my estimated recovery time in half. Meanwhile, I researched the burgeoning biotechnology market. During that process, I met Dr. Günter Hofmann, a physicist and inventor. The rest is history.

Lois and Gunter Hofmann

I joined Günter’s company, which had been operating out of three townhouses and two garages. I changed the direction of the company from making and selling laboratory research instruments to developing drug and gene delivery systems. Then we raised many rounds of venture capital, finally taking the company public. All went well; the company grew to over one hundred employees and another hundred associates around the world.  I had fulfilled one of my life goals, that of becoming the CEO of a publicly held company. We had J & J as a pharmaceutical partner. Clinical trials were looking good. Patients were being helped.

Then another setback occurred. Günter and I were ousted from the very company he had founded in a traumatic coup. We were devastated. Of course, we contacted our attorneys. Our choice, in the end, was to fight or flee. Many advised us to duke it out.

Our decision was radical and unexpected. We decided to sail around the world! Thus began an eight-year odyssey to assuage our anger and hurt, and to fulfill a far different dream. It would be a better life—one in which we would be truly independent and self-sufficient, answering to no one. We would be back in control of our own destiny. We were open to change. We were ready for new beginnings.

We learned many lessons during those eight years of sailing. Our Maiden Voyage, the topic of my first book, was all about control. We were forced by the wind and weather to change schedules and to delay crew. Even though Pacific Bliss was a new boat, equipment broke down. And we faced a Force 10 storm off the pirate coast of Colombia. Force 12 is a hurricane. A 43-foot catamaran cannot survive that!  After that voyage, we realized that there is a certain peace in being out of control. It reminds one of how much there is to lose, and how fast one can lose it.

Lois on board Pacific Bliss in the Marquesas Islands

I am a different person now. I have a certain calmness underneath my skin that I didn’t have before. My life has all been worth it. I have no regrets.

Maybe you think it’s too late to pursue your passion, to stretch yourself to that place where adventure begins. Life went on. Age just crept up on you. And somewhere along the way, you lost the plot. Well, I have news for you. Günter retired at 65, the year we ordered our Catana catamaran to be built. I was 58. Günter turned 70 on the Passage from Bali to Singapore, with two years of our circumnavigation yet to come! You’re never too old to live your dream! I encourage you to cast off those dock lines, to pursue your passion, and to live your dream, whatever that may be. To do that, you will need to overcome your fear of the unknown.

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Lois Joy Hofmann

Lois Joy Hofmann retired after a 35-year entrepreneurial and management career. Then she completed her circumnavigation with her husband, Gunter.  Intrepid adventurers, the couple now embarks on more conventional travel with the goal of understanding countries and cultures that they omitted the first time around.  When not traveling, Lois resides in San Diego, California, where she enjoys writing, speaking and photography. She launched her first book in the nautical trilogy “In Search of Adventure and Moments of Bliss: Maiden Voyage” in March, 2011. The book won first place in the San Diego Book Awards, travel category. Lois is currently writing the second book in the series, to be called “Sailing the South Pacific.” Lois also serves on the Board of Directors of UPLIFT  a faith-based organization working to improve the well being and quality of life of San Diego’s inner city population. Learn more about Lois on her website  and subscribe to her blogs.

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Thank you Lois for sharing your amazing story of courage and being Gutsy in life, regardless of  age, as you pointed out. Please leave your questions and comments for Lois in the comments section below, and she will be over to respond. Also visit her website for more photos and to learn more about her book.

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Comments

  2. Doreen Cox says

    Lois, I so enjoyed your gutsy story. The sentence that grabbed my spirit was, “..we realized that there was a certain peace in being out of control.” Reading about the choices you made to hang onto and follow your passions despite some devastating type of setbacks is inspirational to me. Question: which comes first: the inner-mind passion to follow a path because of an outer, physical experience or event, or in reverse? Or, is this like the chicken or the egg issue? Interested in your opinion.
    Doreen Cox recently posted..Please make your local bookstores and libraries aware of this great book. The mo…My Profile

    • Lois Joy Hofmann says

      Doreen, I will answer your question based on one achievement in my life – the eight-year worldwide circumnavigation. My husband and I set this goal for our retirement, so, it was implanted in my mind; however, it might not have happened had not external events caused us to leave the company when we did. In setting a goal, the entire universe can come to one’s aid. We set the goal; sometimes the strategy sets itself.

  4. Joy says

    Wow..so much to love about this story! Thank you for sharing:)
    Five years ago, as a single mom of two young children, I moved my little family from land to a sailboat; despite objections and negative opinion from those around us. Living aboard the boat was a realization of a dream for me–yes there was transition and a million “stories” but I am living a dream..my dream.
    I am sorry that external was “less than” at times in your life, but you allowed that to guide you to ‘far more than’ and that is something to celebrate each and every day. Your journey affirms to me my own way of living from my heart space,I cannot always tell you what a day will hold, but I can tell you that– like you– I feel gratitude to be who I am and where I am. I would love to sail around the world, but I have yet to completely loose those dock lines–it is the ability to hear *you* through this sharing that reminds me to keep dreaming, keep sailing..and allow it to happen!
    I find this that you shared today very inspirational and motivational to me..thank you!

  5. Richard says

    Hello Lois,
    A great story! I especially like that you waited to let us know that you and Gunter were in your 60s and 70s when you began your sea adventure. Thank you for sharing!
    Richard
    Richard recently posted..Joy To The WorldMy Profile

  7. Sonia Marsh says

    Joy, so happy you’re getting many comments. I wanted to ask you if I can come along on your next “Gutsy” trip? Thank you so much for motivating us.

    • Lois Joy Hofmann says

      Sonia – Are you up for a month-long cruise around the bottom of South America, that includes Cape Horn? We depart in March. We are calling it “The Big Bucket Cruise.” That’s because we will knock-off many of the countries remaining on our Bucket List AND we will be going on a big bucket (a cruise ship) vs. the little bucket that was “Pacific Bliss.”

  8. Penelope J. says

    I’m really impressed by this uplifting story of success, downfall, comebacks, personal reinvention, finding peace, setting goals in midlife, and my favorite, not giving up on one’s dream, as well as all the adventures attached to sailing around the world. This has wet my appetite to read Lois’s book.
    Penelope J. recently posted..Never Give Up on Your DreamMy Profile

  9. Nikki says

    Hi Lois
    I love your story and how you recovered from some amazing setbacks. You just kept going and working with what you had.
    I was particularly inspired by your reaction to the liver damage. I love that you took your health into your own hands and am sure that is why you look so healthy and beautiful today.
    You have reminded me that I have to make my health a priority. Thanks for the wonderful story.
    Nikki recently posted..Choosing Fabulous Goals for the New YearMy Profile

    • Lois Joy Hofmann says

      Nikki – It’s surprising how many writers have had accidents or health problems that seemed, initially, to stall their progress but then these setbacks turned into valuable times for reflection, reevaluation and moving onward with their lives. Your health and personal well-being must be number one, because without it you can’t go onto numbers two and three!

  11. Winsomebella says

    Great story. I find I fear aging because I worry it will be the end of adventure. This helps me to realize that is not necessarily so. Thank you.

    • Lois Joy Hofmann says

      Winsomebella – Thank you for your feedback! I recently turned 70 and had a birthday bash with five of my siblings. I was recommended to present at an event by a 93 year-old reader of my first book, “Maiden Voyage,” he’s still going strong and reminds me that there’s A LOT of living yet to do.

    • Lois Joy Hofmann says

      Mickie – I’m happy to be an inspiration; inspiration and motivation were my reasons for writing this story. This is the goal that keeps me going as I continue to write my trilogy, “In Search of Adventure and Moments of Bliss.”

  18. Dodie Cross says

    Hi Lois: Even though I knew some of this story as you’d shared with me before, it was compelling and made we want to complete more of my “dreams” before I take that long dirt nap. Hope we can get together at SCWC.
    Dodie

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