What Surfing Has Taught Me About Life
For me, nothing beats an early morning surf with my best friends. Being in the ocean is healing and it always leaves me feeling better than before I went in. While I am still very much a beginner, in my short time surfing I have discovered so many beautiful similarities between surfing and this crazy thing called life.
It’s hard! paddling and paddling and paddling...it is bloody exhausting on the body, but it’s worth it when you catch that wave that fills you with a warm buzz and a big grin that stays with you well after you’ve left the water.
Life can be hard sometimes, we’re all faced with our own personal challenges. There is however, so much beauty in pushing through the hard times and finally getting to the other side. Even after it all, you appreciate the good times so much more after you’ve persevered through all the tough stuff.
Some days you head out and the waves are perfect. You catch wave after wave and you finally think you’ve got the knack for this whole surfing thing. Other times, you head out and you get smashed, you’re exhausted and you’re lucky to even get a single good wave.
Life works in ebbs and flows, some days are filled with love and joy and other days are hard and exhausting. Not every day is perfect and not every surf is either, but as the saying goes - without rain there would be no flowers. We just have to accept the bad days and be kind to ourselves.
Getting back out there - I have had my fair share of experiences that have scared me when surfing. Getting dumped by a massive wave is a scary experience and can sometimes make you feel like surfing just isn’t for you. The important thing is pushing past the fear and trying again.
There are many things we do in life that just don’t turn out quite right. You may have applied for your dream job and missed out on it by the skin of your teeth or been rejected in a relationship. The important thing is despite how scary it may seem to try again, it is always worth it.
Good things take time. You’re not going to immediately be good at surfing it takes time and consistency, just like everything else. You’re going to suck when you start (unless you’re ridiculously gifted) and you’re probably going to get frustrated, but if you just keep going you’ll get better.
If you want to get good at something you have to invest the time to get better. Nothing great comes easy, as long as you keep going, you’ll see improvements.
One thing I love about surfing is all the smiling faces out in the water. There is definitely a feeling of community - bound by a love of surfing. You may not catch a tonne of waves, but the friendly faces always make it worth it.
A smile, a wave and kindness can truly brighten someone’s day - make sure you share them in all aspects of your life.