I am not good. I am exceptional.

Individuals with a mastery orientation tend to set goals for themselves in order to increase competence. Those with a helpless orientation avoid challenging goals and tend to give up easily (Motivation: Theory, Research, and Application by Petri/Govern).

It was early morning. The most pressing question on my mind was, “Do I wear a jacket?” It wasn’t cold on land, but would it be chilly seven miles offshore? I went with the jacket.

The time to set sail came. I boarded the boat alongside a family of three: a father, mother, and son. It was their first time whale watching and my second. Before we took off the captain offered us a full refund if we wanted to get off the boat because it was foggy. He also mentioned that it would probably clear up once we were out in the middle of the ocean. None of us took the offer.

We drove the boat above giant waves in pursuit of whales. Each of us employed with the task of spotting something big. Of course, with whale watching, there are no guarantees.

About six miles offshore, we came across a pod of dolphins. Hundreds of dolphins playfully swam together in one direction. They were so close to the boat. It was amazing to see.

But that was not the end of it. There was more.

We looked, and looked, and looked some more for the whales. Finally, our captain saw something in the distance. We drove toward it, and sure enough, not one but seven humpback whales were swimming.

They weren’t just swimming. The humpback whales were in a feeding frenzy. Because of that, we got to see more than just dorsal fins and tails. We saw multiple whales coming out of the water with their mouths wide open, taking in thousands of fish at a time.